Sydney Sweeney faces backlash at Americana premiere over controversial American Eagle jeans ad: ‘It’s racist’. Watch

The public discontent over the American Eagle jeans ad has poured onto the streets now, with people expressing their disappointment at Sydney Sweeney upfront, beyond social media.

By: Entertainment Desk

Kochi | August 6, 2025 06:02 PM IST

3 min read

The public discontent over the American Eagle jeans ad has poured onto the streets now, with people expressing their disappointment at Sydney Sweeney upfront, beyond social media.

Sydney Sweeney arrives for a special screening of her upcoming film Americana in Los Angeles. (AP photo)

With US President Donald Trump also weighing in, the controversy surrounding actor Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle jeans ad has escalated further. As Trump extended his formal support to her, specifically after learning that she’s reportedly a registered Republican, the matter has received an even brighter political colour. This has led critics to assert that the mention of “good genes” in the ad was not innocent after all.

Now, the discontent has poured onto the streets as well, with people expressing their disappointment at Sydney Sweeney upfront, beyond social media. Recently, the star actor faced public backlash when one person heckled her at the premiere of her upcoming film, Americana. In a video, shared by TMZ, which has since gone viral on social media, Sweeney can be seen arriving for the film’s premiere donning a pale yellow outfit. As she stepped out of her car and walked towards the venue, a woman shouted, “Stop the ad, that is being racist.” Sweeney, however, did not respond to the heckler and continued walking.

Fresh Take | Sydney Sweeney’s ad isn’t selling ‘great jeans’, but the body in them — and that’s the problem

Although the matter has become huge, opinions on social media are divided mainly. While some people expressed that the backlash against her was unwarranted and offered their support, others argued that Sweeney was not ready to take responsibility for the implications of her actions. Even as a section of the audience showered love on her, others speculated that the controversy was part of a deliberate strategy by her and her team to attract attention.

Watch Sydney Sweeney being heckled for the American Eagle jeans ad here:

For the unversed, the controversy erupted after clothing retailer American Eagle unveiled its new ad featuring Sweeney, wherein she was seen saying, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye colour. My genes/jeans are blue.” The tag line for the ad read, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”. This quickly attracted criticism as many felt the ad promoted ideals associated with whiteness.

Express View | American Eagle, Sydney Sweeney, and an attempt at ‘coolness’ that backfired

The phrase “good genes” has a complicated history with direct ties to eugenics and white supremacist propaganda. After the ad gained traction, many criticised it and claimed that the wordplay was malicious, especially in the context of the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown on immigrants. Sweeney, however, has yet to address the controversy directly.

From the homepage