Trump Faces 3rd Impeachment Threat

That distinction matters because it helps explain why Sweeney repeatedly ends up at the center of political arguments despite rarely making explicit political statements herself. One faction celebrates her as an “anti-woke” cultural symbol, another faction objects to that symbolism, and Sweeney herself is frequently caught between the two.

The controversy became much larger in July 2025 when American Eagle launched its “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” advertising campaign. The campaign deliberately played on the homophones “jeans” and “genes.” In one advertisement, Sweeney discussed inherited characteristics such as hair and eye color before saying that her “jeans are blue.”