Sydney Sweeney has made her first post since facing backlash over her American Eagle ad, which embroiled the actress in accusations of racism.
The 27-year-old broke her social media silence to promote her crime thriller film, Americana.
She shared several behind-the-scenes photos from the Tony Tost-directed film, including a snapshot of herself in character as Penny Jo Poplin.
“A few years ago I filmed this little movie with some friends and now you get to meet penny jo ♥️,” she captioned the photos on Thursday (August 14).
Sydney Sweeney is back on social media after starring in a controversial American Eagle ad
Image credits: americaneagle / Instagram
However, the post did not receive an entirely warm reception, with many netizens calling for a boycott of the movie.
“So uhm….remember that ad you made for American eagle?” one user commented.
“Perfect, won’t be watching it,” fumed someone else.
A third added, “I was a huge fan until she let herself be turned into propaganda.”
Image credits: glencocoforhair / Instagram
Others, however, jumped to the star’s defense, writing, “They could never make me hate you Sydney.”
“Do your thing, Sydney! Don’t let those haters get to you!” shared another fan.
“They hate her because she’s hot,” a separate user shared.
The actress shared various behind-the-scenes photos from her film Americana
Image credits: sydney_sweeney / Instagram
Last month, the actress sparked significant controversy after starring in a denim ad with the tagline, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”
In the ad, the actress states that her “jeans are blue” as a voiceover says, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
Because the tagline uses the word “jeans” as a play on “genes,” and Sydney is a white, blonde woman with blue eyes, some critics interpreted the ad as promoting genetic superiority.
Image credits: sydney_sweeney / Instagram
Others criticized the American Eagle campaign for objectifying Sydney, arguing that she often makes content catered to the male gaze, and likened her commercial to Brooke Shields’ infamous 1980 Calvin Klein denim ad.
Brooke, then aged 15, featured in a commercial that came with the suggestive tagline “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.”
While some netizens have called for a boycott of the film, others have defended the star amid the controversy
Image credits: sydney_sweeney / Instagram
Following the negative reactions to Sydney’s ad, American Eagle issued a statement denying any intention to give the campaign a racial undertone.
On Instagram, the brand wrote, “‘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.”
Sydney was accused of promoting eugenics after stating, “My jeans are blue” in an ad that used the word “jeans” as a play on “genes”
Image credits: American Eagle / YouTube
Foot traffic at American Eagle stores dropped 9% two weeks after the ad campaign for the retailer, according to a report by Forbes.
On August 3, the White Lotus alum promoted Americana at a screening in Los Angeles, marking her first red-carpet appearance since the scandal.
Image credits: fandango / Instagram
The film is set in a South Dakota town and follows a group of people who enter a violent fight to steal a prized “ghost shirt.”
“A highly prized Native American artifact leads a gallery of dynamic characters down a dangerous path in this wildly entertaining modern-day Western,” a synopsis reads.
“After the rare relic falls onto the black market, the lives of a small-town woman and her son become violently intertwined with a quirky local diner waitress, an offbeat military veteran and a corrupt antiquities dealer.
“Crime and chaos follow when an indigenous group leader and his crew join the fray in order to reclaim the artifact and return it to its rightful place,” the synopsis concludes.
Sydney did not address the scandal in her latest Instagram post
Image credits: Lionsgate Movies / YouTube
Image credits: BRON / YouTube
Americana had its world premiere at the 2023 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival in 2023 and is scheduled for theatrical release in the United States on Friday (August 15.)
In addition to Sydney, the film stars Halsey, Paul Walter Hauser, Simon Rex, Eric Dane, and Zahn McClarnon.
The crime thriller has received some negative reviews, with The Daily Beast’s Nick Schager calling the film a “sluggish and monotonous country-ified neo-noir that fails to innovate and, worse, to utilize its magnetic leading lady and her capable co-stars.”
Schager writes, “Sydney Sweeney has good jeans in Americana. But it’s her awkward, affected stammering that’s emblematic of this Western crime comedy, de-emphasis on the latter, as Tony Tost’s feature debut puts minimal effort into being amusing.”
Americana, which hits theaters on August 15, also stars Halsey and Simon Rex
Image credits: lionsgate / Instagram
In his review, The New York Post’s Johnny Oleksinski called the film “a copycat Coen Brothers yarn with the depth of a tortilla.”
Oleksinski wrote that it was “a violently annoying and annoyingly violent ensemble piece speckled with ‘look how wacky we are!’”
Image credits: rottentomatoes
Nevertheless, Americana has also garnered some positive reviews, with Deadline’s Valerie Complex highlighting its “brilliant writing” and “rich and enjoyable cast.”
Complex also praised director Tony Tost for avoiding “common pitfalls first-time directors encounter by overcomplicating things” and “keeping it simple by letting characters work within their frame.”
Rafael Motamayor wrote in IndieWire that Americana was “charming, gritty, and all-round entertaining.” He added that it had “gallows humor, compelling performances, and a big heart.”
At the time of writing, the film has a 5.4/10 rating on IMDb, an online database where anyone can leave a review.
Sydney’s jeans ad has overshadowed the release of her film Americana
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