Sydney Sweeney, the Euphoria actress, has effortlessly brushed off the backlash from her American Eagle "great jeans" campaign with a poise that leaves little room for doubt. Her unwavering response to the controversy was recently echoed by her co-star, Sharon Stone, who is currently working alongside her on Euphoria Season 3.
In July, Sweeney graced the American Eagle campaign with the tagline "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," a playful nod to "great genes" that sparked an online backlash, with critics alleging that the ad glorified her physique and white heritage. During filming, Stone, who is a friend of Sweeney's, shared with Variety that they discussed the uproar.
Sweeney's response was matter-of-fact: "Yeah, and I'm sure I made a billion dollars for the jeans company, and I'm good with that. Because, you know what? I'll get another job." Drawing a parallel to her friend Jane Goodall's experience with media criticism, Stone recalled, "When Jane was on the cover of Life Magazine... other scientists said, 'Well, she only got it because she had good legs.' And Jane replied, 'If I did, then that helped me get more money for my research.'"
Stone expressed her admiration for Sweeney's attitude. "It's okay to use what mama gave you. It's really fine," she said. "It's hard to be hot, and we all know that. It's really okay to use every bit of hotness you have—right here, right now—and go for whatever that is." Moreover, Stone concluded, "Everybody has their own kind of hotness, and you're supposed to go for that. Because who are you not to be beautiful? You know, who you are isn't an accident."
Sydney Sweeney and Sharon Stone were among the inspiring women honored at Variety’s Power of Women L.A. event alongside other powerful women such as Wanda Sykes, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nicole Scherzinger, and Kate Hudson.
