Sydney Sweeney’s attempts to downplay her controversial American Eagle jeans ad earned her a sharp rebuke from fellow White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood.
Wood, 31, weighed in on the issue after British celebrity photographer Misan Harriman shared a clip of Sweeney’s “Man of the Year” interview for GQ, in which the actress brushed off the backlash to her jeans ad.
The campaign, which launched in July with the slogan “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” featured a short film playing on the words “jeans” and “genes.” Critics accused the ad of echoing eugenicist language about “good genes” and genetic superiority, which was amplified further when it became a MAGA talking point and was publicly praised by Donald Trump.
Harriman wrote on Instagram, alongside a video of Sweeney talking about the ad, “Presuming that you are not a white supremacist, at least say how horrified you were by how this campaign was amplified and celebrated by unrepentant racists who believe in eugenics.
“At least recognise the harm your jeans campaign has caused black folk,” he added. “The undertone of the campaign is that your genetics are superior to others - the play on words is clear as day and racists LOVED it!”
“So, presuming you didn’t know when you shot it, you certainly do now, and it matters. This ain’t it!”
Harriman’s post quickly garnered thousands of likes and comments, including one from Wood, who responded to the clip by signalling her disgust with a single green, nauseated-face emoji.
The simple response, however, was met with immediate support from fans, who interpreted it as a rebuke of Sweeney’s non-apology and flooded the comments with comments thanking the British-born actress for speaking up.
“You’re a real one, Aimee Lou Wood!” one commenter wrote, while others responded with fire emojis and wrote “Clock it sis!”
“Any decent person would have been horrified at white supremacists, nazis, and fascists co-opting their likeness and works for their cause,” another user wrote. “Her smug indifference tells you all you need to know about the kind of person she is.”
Sweeney downplayed the controversy when asked about the backlash to the American Eagle ad, simply telling GQ, “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.”
The actress claimed not to have seen much of the backlash due to her busy work schedule while filming Euphoria, but said it was “surreal” to see Donald Trump jump to her defense after he learned she was a registered Republican.
“I knew at the end of the day what that ad was for, and it was for great jeans; it didn’t affect me one way or the other,” the 28-year-old told GQ.
“She’s a registered Republican? Oh, now I love her ad.” Trump posted back in July at the height of the controversy.
The next day, he followed up the thought with a much longer rant on Truth Social, in which the president wrote, “Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there., It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are ‘flying off the shelves.’ Go get ‘em Sydney!”
Vice President JD Vance also weighed in on the American Eagle campaign, writing on X, “My political advice to the Democrats is to continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi.”
“I actually thought that one of the lessons they might take is ‘we’re going to be less crazy,’” he continued. “And the lesson they have apparently taken is we’re going to attack people as Nazis for thinking Sydney Sweeney is beautiful. Great strategy, guys!”
