Sydney Sweeney is No Longer for the Girls.

Who is she selling herself for?

In July 2025, Euphoria actress Sydney Sweeney gained controversy for her appearance in an American Eagle campaign. “But why? Is it not just about jeans?”, you might ask. But it’s so much more than just jeans. ‘SYDNEY SWEENEY HAS GREAT JEANS’ was plastered across the screen in coloured writing, accompanied by a male voiceover, reinforcing that she is the beauty standard. Blonde, slim, big boobs. But ‘great jeans’? Really? We know she’s gorgeous, but saying that someone has great genes when they claim features known to be praised amongst figures such as, um, Hitler, it doesn’t really sit well with audiences. American Eagle is a denim brand most common amongst 15-25 year olds, with Texas holding the largest store count in the US. The brand, popular in more white dominated states, has since sparked accusations of white supremacy. After dividing fans, Sweeney responded to the discourse in an interview with GQ, making the bland statement: I just love jeans.

Sydney Sweeney is no Einstein, but it doesn’t take a genius to see that as a poor response. Whoever her PR team is, they need firing. The truth is, being hot AND controversial is only going to make you more money. But if she wants to become a respected, versatile actor, she’s losing her chances. Sydney started acting in 2009, but her breakout role only came ten years later, in the Netflix series ‘Everything Sucks’, where she plays a closeted mean girl. Despite being cancelled after just one season, the show gained a cult following, just a year prior to her claim to stardom in the HBO series ‘Euphoria’. When I first watched the series at thirteen years old, I was mesmerised. The cinematography, the score, the makeup - everything about it was intentional, and I loved that. With the release of season two in 2022, there was a shift in Sweeney’s character. Once easy to empathise with, fans of the show were divided over the messiness of her character’s actions - specifically, sleeping with her best friends boyfriend. Viewers were left mortified, no longer routing for the underdog. Whilst I highly doubt that Sydney Sweeney is actively stealing her friend’s partners, the parallels between her and Cassie are amusing. Both previously seen as charming, and now hated for leaning into the male gaze, it feels like Sydney Sweeney is no longer for the girls. So who exactly is her audience?

When Euphoria season 2 was released, viewers were uncomfortable with the amount of nude scenes Sweeney was asked to do. Director Sam Levinson was asked to cut several of her scenes, and he agreed. But it still feels exploitive. This is the first time we had seen her this vulnerable on screen, but her naked body is all people seem to care about. Men have always been weird about Sydney Sweeney. Paparazzi photos emphasising her toned physique would often circulate online, raising discussions about her body and stirring debates over whether she is actually attractive or not. Believe it or not, Sydney Sweeney once had the confidence to clap back and stick up for herself. But this is something that we don’t see anymore. Since being involved in actual controversies, she has either chosen to stay quiet, or make a tone deaf statement in response. She is not trying to please anyone. Perhaps her body being a constant topic of debate amongst incels was too much for her. Instead of working against them, she began working for them. Sydney Sweeney is for the boys.

In May 2025, Sydney Sweeney collaborated with the brand ‘Dr. Squatch’ to release her own bar of soap. Sounds wholesome, right? Well it uses her real bath water. Accompanied by a series of highly saturated marketing images of her in a bathtub, the product, in Sweeney’s words, was designed to “help guys wake up to the realities of conventional personal care products and push them towards natural”. It certainly helped push the use of natural products, with the bars selling out instantly and 100 being won as part of a giveaway due to the high demand. Whilst the product brought publicity to ‘Dr. Squatch’, and made them a lot of money, I am almost positive that no man purchasing this soap actually cares about the natural ingredients - they only care about the beautiful naked woman who’s bath water they are washing themselves with. Whilst some people viewed this as a tongue in cheek, almost campy, response to the over sexualisation she has received, she is only selling herself to the male gaze. She makes her money, and men are happy. No more ‘let’s call Sydney Sweeney ugly’. If she gives them something to sexualise, there’s nothing for them to complain about. They like that they have access to her. What’s next? An OnlyFans?

Sydney Sweeney’s image is now tarnished as a product of the criticism she received for being nothing but a beautiful woman. Once very uncontroversial, Sweeney is making headlines every week, involving herself in projects or discourse for her male audience to devour. The truth is, whilst she might believe that she has gained the respect of these men, this can be lost at any second. If she gained weight, or had a boob job, her audience would turn against her. She has crafted her image around validation from a group of people that don’t wish to see her succeed. Her female fans either, don’t exist, or are shaking their heads trying to defend her. But she doesn’t need women to defend her anymore.

Whilst she attracted the most praise for her acting before her work would appeal to men, it’s with no doubt that Sydney Sweeney is receiving the most publicity from these bizarre business ventures that are something of a humiliation ritual. The now infamous American Eagle ad highlights her chest and bum, and follows her gazing into the camera whilst she talks about how good she looks. We know Sydney Sweeney looks good in these jeans, after all, the brands web traffic surged by 100% and added $400 million into market value from the advert alone. We all want to look as good as she does. But she isn’t relatable when she is speaking in the language of her male audience. It’s nauseating to listen to.

Although people chose to purchase her jeans, no one gained any respect for her. If anything, this cemented her image as a bimbo. But, like a lot of people, I’m patiently waiting for the rebrand of Sydney Sweeney. I’d love for her to write a book, or make an appearance on a talk show opening up about her experience in the public eye. I have a lot of sympathy for her, as a human being with empathy, and someone who was once a huge fan. Her recent film, ‘Christie’, a biopic on queer boxing legend Christie Martin, grossed only $1.3 million domestically despite a wide release, making it one of the worst opening weekends in box office history. I wouldn’t necessarily blame that on the AE controversy alone, more so that she is playing a queer role, as a woman who markets herself to a straight, male audience. No male fan is going to watch a film that she has starred in, after hearing that she has gained 30 pounds for the role, and isn’t perceived as a male centred, blonde girl with big tits. ‘Christie’ was not for her audience. Those who were eager to watch a film about Christie Martin, would’ve been more inclined to watch if Ruby Rose was still attached to the project.

So when will Sydney Sweeney learn to detach herself from the male gaze? Her performances would receive far more credibility if she didn’t try to appeal to an audience that couldn’t even tell you the name of her most recent film. The Sydney Sweeney that we all fell in love with is still there somewhere. I’d love for her to star in a female directed project, with a female led cast, such as a remake of ‘Little Women’, or ‘20th Century Women’ twenty years down the line. I believe she needs a strong group of confident women around her, as well as less nude scenes and more scenes of emotional turmoil, so audiences can see the Sydney Sweeney we once had on our screens.