Halsey has publicly defended Sydney Sweeney following controversy surrounding a recent advertising campaign for American Eagle. The singer took to social media to stand by her co-star from the film Americana, directed by Tony Tost. Halsey emphasized the importance of cinema in her Instagram Story, stating, “If you love cinema, then you should know that cinema comes first. This is cinema.”
The controversy began when critics accused the American Eagle advertisement of promoting eugenics, due to a play on the words “jeans” and “genes.” In the campaign video, Sweeney, who has blond hair and blue eyes, stated, “Genes that are passed from parent to offspring often determine traits such as hair colour, personality and even eye colour.” She concluded with the phrase, “My jeans are blue.” This led to intense online discussions regarding race and beauty standards in America.
Halsey addressed the backlash in her post, expressing concern over how the media treats individuals involved in such projects. “I do agree that our words are important in this climate. I don’t, however, think that it’s fair for the news cycle to predatorily rip a hardworking director and his hardworking crew for this film that is completely separate from and unrelated to a (pretty dumb) advertising take.” Although she did not mention Sweeney by name, it was clear that her comments were directed toward the actress, who has faced significant scrutiny since the advertisement’s release.
In response to the criticism, American Eagle issued a statement defending its campaign. The company said, “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Meanwhile, the film Americana has not performed well at the box office since its release. Tost commented that the film has been “gobbled up by the zeitgeist.” He expressed hope that it would be appreciated in the future, stating on X (formerly Twitter), “One of the great things about movies is that they outlive the zeitgeist into which they were released.”
The interplay between advertising messages and artistic expression continues to spark debates about representation and cultural sensitivity, highlighting the challenges faced by both filmmakers and brands in today’s complex media landscape.
