Sydney Sweeney is making headlines again, and, unfortunately, it has little to do with her most recent project, Christy. Earlier this year, the Euphoria actress broke the internet when she featured in an American Eagle ad showcasing her “jeans.” It sparked conversation on whether the ad intended to promote eugenics and became the topic of several news stations and social media platforms.
During a press interview with GQ for her new movie, Christy, Sweeney was asked what it felt like witnessing the internet’s reaction.
“I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction was definitely a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans. I’m literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life,” said Sweeney.
When the interviewer passively asked Sweeney if she would like to comment on the allegations that the commercial endorsed genetic supremacy, she said no. “If there was an issue I want to speak about, people will hear,” Sweeney said.
Unfortunately for us, that means we will never know the correlation between clothing and genes.
Since the interview, celebrities have spoken out against the actor’s responses. Aimee Lou Wood, the star of Sex Education, expressed her feelings wordlessly by commenting a vomiting emoji on an Instagram post.
Along with Wood, social media content creator Jupiter Baal uploaded a video responding to the actress’s response.
“She was given an opportunity to push back; she didn’t, therefore she’s in on it.” Wunmi Mosaku, SZA, and Christina Ricci liked the video. Actress Ruby Rose also shared her opinion on the actress, primarily focusing on Sweeney’s role in Christy. She sent a message through Threads condemning Sweeney’s response:
“The original Christy Martin script was incredible. Life changing. I was attached to play Cherry. Everyone had experience with the core material. Most of us were actually gay. It’s part of why I stayed in acting. Losing roles happens all the time.”
“For her PR to talk about it flopping and saying SS did it for the ‘people.’ None of the people want to see someone who hates them, parading around pretending to be us. You’re a cretin, and you ruined the film. Period. Christy deserved better.”
The biopic, based on former professional boxer Christy Martin, who competed from 1989 to 2012, was released in U.S. theaters on November 7. According to Forbes, the film generated a domestic revenue of 1.3 million dollars, making it one of the lowest openings for a box office film. Despite the public backlash, Martin has stood tall with Sweeney and made her stance in an Instagram post.
“The past few days, I have seen people attack my friend Sydney Sweeney. Syd not only worked her a** off for this film, she worked her a** off for me. For my story,” Martin commented.
Because the film’s debut premiered during the controversy, Sweeney’s lack of comment may have been a reason for its tanking. Since the release of her jean ad, she has also released three other movies, all of which have done similar numbers at the box office. There’s no way of telling if future films will have the same destiny, but we will be on the lookout.
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