Sydney Sweeney does not appear to be letting the controversy surrounding her previous collaboration with American Eagle stop her from working with the brand again.
The actress has been featured in new photos for the company’s latest campaign, highlighting its classic denim styles.
She has also fronted multiple campaigns for the brand this year, including a Fourth of July-themed collection.
Sydney Sweeney has appeared in new photos for American Eagle. The actress previously collaborated with the brand in 2025, when the campaign she fronted then sparked controversy over claims of racist undertones.
More recently, Sweeney took to Instagram to share photos of herself wearing the brand’s latest denim pieces alongside the caption, “It is low rise season.”
In one shot, she wears an oversized, vintage-inspired denim look featuring wide-leg, high-rise blue jeans with a faded wash, paired with a loose off-the-shoulder denim shirt for a relaxed ’90s streetwear aesthetic.
Another image shows her in clean, straight-leg blue jeans with a simple white T-shirt, while a third features low-rise olive-gray cargo jeans with utility pockets, styled with a fitted white crop top.
American Eagle Keeps Sydney Sweeney Front And Center
In April, Sweeney appeared in American Eagle’s “Syd for Short” campaign, a title that played on both the first three letters of her name and the brand’s push to promote its shorts collection.
In one promotional video, the actress playfully asks, “What brand am I wearing?” before a montage of her modeling different pairs of shorts. The clip then ends with the knowing response: “Yeah, that one.”
She also appeared in the brand’s Fourth of July campaign, posing on the beach in a denim bow-front vest paired with low-rise micro shorts.
How Sydney Sweeney’s ‘Great Jeans’ Ad Went Viral
In July 2025, American Eagle unveiled its “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign, featuring the actress in a series of ads built around a play on the words “genes” and “jeans.”
In one commercial, Sweeney says, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color… My jeans are blue.”
The campaign quickly ignited online debate, with some critics arguing the messaging echoed themes associated with eugenics or white supremacy, while others dismissed the criticism as an overreaction to a lighthearted marketing pun.
Sweeney did not directly respond to the controversy at the time, instead focusing on promoting her film projects. Meanwhile, American Eagle released a statement emphasizing that the campaign was about Sweeney’s “jeans,” not “genes.”
Despite the criticism, the operation proved to be a commercial success. The company recorded a surge in website traffic, while several Sweeney-associated products quickly sold out.
Sweeney Says The Reaction Caught Her Off Guard
Months after the controversy, Sweeney revealed she was surprised by the reaction during an interview with GQ.
“I did a jean ad,” Sweeney said. “The reaction definitely was 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.”
She also explained that she wasn’t dwelling on the controversy because she was busy filming the final season of “Euphoria.”
“I wasn’t thinking of it like that. Or like, of any of it. I kind of just put my phone away. I was filming every day,” she added. “So, I’m working like 16-hour days, and I don’t really bring my phone on set. I work, and then I go home, and I go to sleep.”
Sydney Sweeney Declined To Address The Controversy
When asked to directly address the criticism surrounding the ad in November last year, Sweeney declined to weigh in on the controversy.
“I think that when I have an issue that I wanna speak about, people will hear,” the “Euphoria” star said.
However, she admitted it felt “surreal” when the president publicly voiced support for her on social media.
She also said she hoped audiences would judge her projects based on the work itself, rather than on what they have read online, and remain open to the art.
