Sydney Sweeney returned to social media after the release of her polarizing “Great Jeans” ad for American Eagle, rocking a pair of jeans in photos of a night out with her friends, with the actress appearing totally unapologetic for her viral ad campaign, which was met with a tidal wave of outrage from the left.
For background, on August 15, 2025, actress Sydney Sweeney made her first post on social media since her appearance in the “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” ad campaign created by American Eagle. Sweeney did not comment directly on the controversy sparked by the ad campaign, but she appeared to be sending a subtle message by wearing denim alongside a group of her friends, who also rocked jeans.
In her August 15 post on Instagram, Sweeney appeared to be having a blast with her friends at a bar, sharing several shots of herself smiling alongside others while dancing, doing karaoke, and grabbing drinks. Moreover, Sweeney simply captioned the photos, “duval diaries,” appearing to reference an area near the actress’s hometown of Spokane, Washington.
Previously, the White Lotus and Euphoria actress became the face of a cultural shift when she appeared in American Eagle’s “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” ad campaign, which garnered praise from conservatives and was a source of outrage for liberals. In response to the backlash the ads received, AE issued a statement saying that the campaign “is and always was about the jeans.”
Continuing, the clothing brand said that the focal point of its ads was “her jeans” and “her story,” adding, “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.” The response came after left-wing media outlets accused AE of subtly promoting eugenics with its jeans/genes wordplay, which AE’s chief marketing officer said was “definitely going to push buttons.”
Moreover, while leftists were outraged by Sweeney’s AE ads, President Trump had an overwhelmingly positive response. When he was asked by a journalist to weigh in on the fact that Sweeney was a registered Republican, he said, “You’d be surprised at how many people are Republicans … I’m glad you told me that. If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic!”
In addition, posting on Truth Social, the president praised Sweeney further, writing, “Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the “HOTTEST” ad out there. It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are “flying off the shelves.” Go get ’em Sydney!” President Trump went on to compare AE’s campaign to the car manufacturer Jaguar, which the president said “did a stupid, and seriously WOKE advertisement, THAT IS A TOTAL DISASTER!”
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Likewise, talk show host Dr. Phil also expressed his wholehearted support for Sweeney by vowing to “buy those jeans for every woman” in his family to “show support,” going on to attribute the backlash to the ads to “loudmouth activists that are making noise.” He added, “This is not about American Eagle being tone-deaf. It’s about some lunatic fringe once again losing its mind.”
Featured image credit: Sydney Sweeney via Instagram