Sydney Sweeney‘s family is seemingly coming to her defense following her controversial American Eagle ad.
The actress’ brother, Trent, made a playful reference to the uproar via his Instagram Story on Wednesday, August 6, while celebrating a personal milestone. Trent, who serves in the U.S. Air Force, shared a photo of his certificate after being promoted to staff sergeant.
“It’s them good jeans 🥸,” he wrote alongside the pic.
Sweeney, 27, recently sparked backlash after starring in a new American Eagle campaign with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” The actress modeled a denim jacket and pants from the brand, but the ad quickly ignited a debate online about race and beauty standards due to the wordplay of “jeans” and “genes,” with some critics even going so far as to claim the ad nods to eugenics.
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color,” Sweeney says in one of the campaign videos. “My jeans are blue.”
American Eagle defended the advertisement in a statement shared via Instagram on Friday, August 1.
“‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story,” the statement read. “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
While Sweeney has yet to publicly address the controversy, she stepped out for a screening of her new film Americana in Los Angeles on Sunday, August 3, smiling as she posed on the red carpet. A source later told Us Weekly that the Euphoria star isn’t letting the chatter distract her.
“Sydney thinks this whole thing has been blown out of proportion,” the insider exclusively revealed. “She’s focusing her energy on work, including being back on set with her Euphoria family.” (Production on season 3 of the HBO hit began earlier this year.)
The American Eagle campaign has garnered widespread criticism — former Bachelorette Gabby Windey called the ad “terrifying” in a recent TikTok — but several celebrities have also voiced their support for Sweeney. Danica Patrick shared her opinion via her Instagram Story as the backlash continued, admitting she was “very confused” by the controversy.
President Donald Trump also weighed in via his Truth Social platform on Monday, August 4, writing, “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!”
