Sydney Sweeney now expresses regret for silence over jeans ad, says she's 'against hate' while promoting new feminist movie

Sydney Sweeney has addressed the controversy surrounding her American Eagle "genes" advertisement that was released earlier this year, where many on the left said the ad was advancing something similar to a far-right agenda. Sweeney, who has not commented much on the ad, has said that she is "against hate" and that her silence has "widened the divide" in America on the issue.

In an interview with People, Sweeney said that she wants to lead "with kindness" and that she wanted to address the backlash against the advertisement, which many just viewed as a play on words with "jeans" and "genes." This comes as she has also been promoting a December release of “The Housemaid,” a feminist movie in which she plays the lead role.

"Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness," she said. "In the past my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press but recently I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it. So I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us."

"I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true,” she added.

Sweeney had first addressed the ad campaign during an interview with GQ, where she refused to answer the backlash and dismissed it. "I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear," Sweeney said at the time.

"I did a jean ad. 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," she added.

During the advertisement, it showed a video of Sweeney in the branded jeans, and the narrator said that she has "good genes," playing on the word "jeans." After the ad was released by American Eagle, their sales skyrocketed.

“The Housemaid,” a best-selling series by Freida McFadden, is often described in feminist terms, as the story is about a woman who hires a maid to infiltrate her home, where her abusive husband lives. The book ends with the hired maid gruesomely killing the husband, Andrew, who is portrayed as controlling and abusive.