Sydney Sweeney shared she was taken aback by the reaction to her now-controversial American Eagle ad, defending the spot was really about her “love” of jeans and the brand.
“I was honestly surprised by the reaction,” Sweeney told PEOPLE in an interview posted Friday. “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.”
The “Euphoria” actress faced backlash this summer after her campaign dropped with the tagline, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” with many suggesting the ad was racist with implications of genetic superiority.
Despite the controversy, American Eagle stood by the campaign, writing in August that it “always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story.”
However, four months later, the ad is still sparking controversy, with Sweeney needing to issue another response on the matter.
“Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness,” Sweeney shared with the outlet. “In the past, my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press but recently I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it. So I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us.”
Sweeney first commented on the campaign last month, when she downplayed the drama as just “a jean ad” in her GQ cover story.
“I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans,” she said at the time. “All I wear are jeans. I’m literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life.”
She also stated she was too busy filming “Euphoria” Season 3 to really grasp how viral the campaign became at the time.
Still, the controversy hasn’t impacted Sweeney’ career too significantly, her new film, “The Housemaid,” also starring Amanda Seyfried, arrives later this month.
