Thanks to her American Eagle jeans ad, Sydney Sweeney has been embroiled in a fierce discourse over the campaign’s controversial “Good Genes Jeans” concept. However, the “Anyone But You” actress has found one very influential figure backing her in the controversy: US President Donald Trump.
The controversy began when American Eagle released a Sweeney-led campaign where the actress talked about her good genes being passed down from her parents. It then went into a cheeky wordplay between “genes” and “jeans” – meant to imply American Eagle’s legacy of good quality denim.
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color,” Sweeney said in the ad.
As the camera panned up to her face, she then closed her monologue with: “My jeans are blue.”
The campaign billboards featuring the “Euphoria” star read “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes,” with “genes” crossed out to instead spell “jeans.”
The ad quickly drew the ire of many for supposedly propping up an old fascist idea about eugenics, the idea of superiority of certain races derived from their genes. American Eagle’s statement denouncing the accusation did little to quash the chatter. This week, the backlash over the campaign’s tagline took a political turn when it was somehow revealed that Sweeney is a registered Republican.
The revelation apparently made the President a fan of the actress now.
“Ohhhhh, now I love her ad. Is that right, is Sydney Sweeney?” Trump said upon being informed of the fact. “You’d be surprised at how many people are Republicans. That’s what I wouldn’t have known, but I’m glad you told me that if Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic.”
Later on his social media, Trump wrote: “Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there.”
“Go get ’em Sydney,” he added.