On August 14, 2025, Sydney Sweeney’s promotion of her crime thriller ‘Americana’ sparked renewed controversy regarding her American Eagle advertisement, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” This led to calls for a boycott.
The 27-year-old ‘Euphoria’ star’s Instagram post about the film, released on August 15, attracted negative comments that referenced the ad. Critics accused it of promoting the idea of genetic superiority due to the play on words between “jeans” and “genes.”
The American Eagle campaign, which launched in July, featured Sweeney stating, “Genes determine traits… My jeans are blue.” This statement sparked accusations of racism and objectification, which were further intensified by her reported Republican registration and Trump’s endorsement on Truth Social.
In response, American Eagle clarified, “It’s about the jeans.” However, the campaign still resulted in a 9% drop in store foot traffic. Furthermore, comparisons were made to Brooke Shields’ 1980 Calvin Klein ad, adding to the ongoing debate.
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Directed by Tony Tost, ‘Americana’ follows a quest for a Native American artefact and stars Sweeney, Halsey, and Paul Walter Hauser. The film premiered at SXSW in 2023 but has received a mixed response, holding a 5.4/10 rating on IMDb. While Deadline has praised the cast’s performances, The Daily Beast criticised the film’s pacing. Additionally, there are calls for a boycott, with some stating, “I won’t watch it,” which may affect its box office performance.
Sweeney, remaining silent on the controversy, attended a screening of “Americana” on August 3, where she focused on her role as Penny Jo Poplin. The boycott is testing her resilience as her fame continues to rise, and the advertising scandal could have significant implications for her career and the film’s performance. Her strategy to allow the situation to fade away may depend on the critical reception of “Americana.”
