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Sydney Sweeney’s Republican Voter Registration and Jeans Ad Ignite Viral Culture Clash
Sydney Sweeney has found herself at the center of a political and cultural firestorm after revelations about her Republican voter registration surfaced, coinciding with the viral success—and controversy—of her new American Eagle jeans campaign.
Public records confirmed that Sydney Sweeney, known for her roles in Euphoria and The White Lotus, registered as a Republican voter in Florida on June 14, 2024. This came shortly after she purchased a mansion in the Keys and mere weeks before Donald Trump’s second presidential victory.
The timing of the registration is fueling intense debate online, especially as Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign has sparked criticism for its wordplay around “genes” and “jeans.” The advertisements, which feature Sydney Sweeney modeling denim while making tongue-in-cheek references to genetic traits, have been accused by some of echoing themes of eugenics and promoting hypersexualized marketing during a fraught political climate.
One TikTok reaction, garnering hundreds of thousands of likes, declared the campaign as “literally giving… Nazi propaganda,” while others lambasted Sydney Sweeney for what they saw as tone-deaf marketing amid ongoing debates about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Conversely, conservative circles have embraced Sydney Sweeney’s ad as a strike against “woke advertising.” Trump himself, when informed of Sweeney’s Republican voter registration, responded with characteristic bravado: “Ooh, now I love her ad. Go get ‘em Sydney.” He later called it the “HOTTEST ad out there” on his social media platform.
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Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesperson, decried the backlash against Sweeney as “cancel culture run amok,” further galvanizing conservative supporters to rally behind the actress.
Yet, amidst the uproar, many voices online are dismissing the controversy as overblown. The phrase “no one is trying to cancel Sydney Sweeney” trended across X (formerly Twitter), as users mocked the pearl-clutching reactions. The X account Wu-Tang is for the Children, with over 270,000 followers, succinctly captured the sentiment: “No one cares if she’s Republican or not.”
American Eagle also stood by Sydney Sweeney, issuing a statement clarifying: “‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story.”
Interestingly, while Bud Light suffered a devastating boycott in 2023 over its collaboration with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney, American Eagle’s stock has reportedly risen in the wake of the Sweeney campaign, signaling a different public response to politically charged marketing.
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As of now, Sydney Sweeney has not addressed her voter registration publicly, nor has she commented on the reaction to the ad campaign. Known for her openness about personal topics such as fertility struggles and mental health, Sweeney’s silence on this issue has only fueled more speculation.
In a polarized America, Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad has become more than just a campaign—it’s now a cultural flashpoint in the ongoing battle between political identity, brand messaging, and internet outrage.