In what has proven to be the controversy that just won’t quit, Sydney Sweeney has again addressed the viral jeans ad that shot her to infamy earlier this year, saying she is “against hate” and only hopes to “bring people together”.
ICYMI, the actress faced mass backlash in July when she fronted a campaign for American Eagle in which she bragged about having “good genes”.
Among other gripes, the ad was accused of promoting eugenics and white supremacy, and that fallout came to include everything from commentary from the White House, parodies by Doja Cat and a defence from Halsey.
Now, Sweeney has tried to put the kibosh on the ordeal once and for all with her most direct response yet, telling PEOPLE she was “honestly surprised by the reaction”.
“I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true,” Sweeney said.
Elsewhere in the statement — which was significantly more forthright than her previous comments about the drama to GQ — Sweeney said she “leads with kindness” before clarifying her stance on what people were accusing her of.
“Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness. In the past my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press but recently I have come to realise that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it,” Sweeney said.
“So I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us,” she concluded.
Last month, Sweeney came under fire again amid accusations she was tip-toeing around the issue when asked about it in a profile for GQ. “I did a jean ad — I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans,” she said in the profile.
That interview came after Sweeney repeatedly declined to answer questions about the controversy during her press tour for the new biopic, Christy.
One might assume Sweeney’s more recent comments will put to bed all the chatter for good, finally allowing us all to wear a pair of jorts without thinking of that infamous line.
Lead images: Instagram and Getty Images
The post Sydney Sweeney Tries (Again) To Put The Kibosh On Jean Ad Controversy: ‘Against Hate’ appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
