Sydney Sweeney is partnering with American Eagle for a new ad campaign, "Syd for Short."
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The team-up comes nearly a year after the Euphoria star sparked controversy with her for campaign, "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans."
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The ad was criticized for seemingly promoting eugenics by playing up the "jeans" and "genes" homophone.
Sydney Sweeneyhas moved on from "great" jeans to sun-lit shorts.
Aftercombatting controversyover her 2025 American Eagle ad campaign, theEuphoriastar has teamed up with the clothing company again on "Syd for Short," a summer campaign spotlighting the brand's shorts.
In the first promo, Sweeney sports a fitted pair of jean shorts and a denim jacket. Staring into the camera with her hands in her pocket, she asks, "What brand am I wearing?"
A montage of images sees Sweeney basking in the sunlight, frolicking on a beach and enjoying the blue skies of summer in her jeans shorts.
In an apparent wink to the outrage sparked by her initial blue jeans campaign, "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," Sweeney then grins at the camera, answering, "Yeah. That one."
In a statement shared withEntertainment Weekly, Sweeney highlighted the brand's partnership with the Crisis Text Hotline, which will receive 100% of the profits for two of AE's custom styles.
"There's something timeless about a great pair of jean shorts. They're simple, but they make you feel confident and put-together without trying too hard," said Sweeney. "Crisis Text Line, a cause so close to my heart, has been a part of this partnership from the beginning. I love knowing that when everyone wears these pieces, they are also a part of something meaningful, that directly helps people who need it."
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Last time around, Sweeney's partnership with the brand garnered plenty of attention when it arrived in July 2025. The most criticized promo featured the actress reclining on a couch and fastening her jeans as she murmurs, "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My genes are blue." Then a male narrator adds, "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans."
The seemingly innocuous world-play of "good genes" vs. "good jeans" struck a discordant chord with many who saw the ad and criticized it for glorifying a racial idea. It was swiftly slammed on social media as several conservative public figures — includingMegyn Kelly,JD Vance, and even PresidentDonald Trump—voiced supportfor Sweeney,mocking othersover their disdainof the ad.
On the heels of the initial wave of criticism, American Eaglereleased a statement defending the adand stating, "'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans, her story. We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone."
As for Sweeney, shedid not weigh infor several months,finally commenting on the controversyin a NovemberGQcover story.
"I did a jean ad," she said. "I mean, the reaction definitely was 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."
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WhenGQasked whether Sweeney wanted to address the "genetic superiority" criticism at the root of the controversy, she replied, "I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear."
Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
