Unless you were living on a deserted island this summer, chances are you heard about Sydney Sweeney’s jeans.

And her genes.

When American Eagle in July launched a sexy, playful ad campaign featuring the actress, who makes a tongue-in-cheek reference to her “genes,” progressives couldn’t handle it.

They still can't. A recent profile of Sweeney in GQ, in which she does mention the “jeans” incident, has brought up the faux-controversy once again.

“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color,” Sweeney says in one of the ads. “My jeans are blue.”

Since Sweeney, 28, has blond hair and blue eyes, the liberals brought out their pitchforks, claiming that the ads – and Sweeney – were obviously pro-“Nazi” and smacked of “White supremacy.”

It all really was quite silly, and the manufactured uproar didn’t seem to faze Sweeney or American Eagle one bit. They kept running the ads, and the company saw a significant boost as a result. Sweeney kept above the fray, not giving her detractors the satisfaction of any kind of response. Until now.

The GQ profile has reignited the same progressives in the media and beyond that are still wringing their hands, while Sweeney keeps playing it cool.

Not everything has to be about politics. How refreshing.

Sweeney’s jeans ads became such a political and cultural flashpoint this summer that both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance weighed in with support for the actress.

On social media, Trump called the ad the “HOTTEST” out there and said, “Go get ‘em Sydney!”

In the midst of the firestorm, there was also breathless attention to Sweeney’s political affiliation, which she has been very private about. Some discovered that – horror of horrors – she was a registered Republican in Florida.

In her GQ interview, the actress admits that getting the White House’s attention was “surreal,” but that’s about as into politics as she got.

“I did a jean ad,” Sweeney says. “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.”

Sweeney also says she “knew at the end of the day what that ad was for, and it was great jeans,” so the uproar “didn’t affect me one way or the other.”

How refreshing.

What’s less inspiring is the reaction from those who wanted Sweeney to grovel for forgiveness.

At one point in the profile, and the most she talks about the “controversy,” Sweeney discusses her frustration that some people outright lied that American Eagle wasn’t seeing a boon from the ad campaign.

“Okay, so Sweeney might not have much to say about the optics of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman being the face of a campaign about ‘good jeans/genes,’ but don’t get her started about the company’s stock-market performance,” a writer for The Cut sarcastically surmises. “Sounds like she’s given this a lot of thought.”

Can we move on from celebrities' preaching? There's hope.

We’ve gotten so used to celebrities using their platform to scold us on their political views – which are almost always Democratic talking points – that it’s surprising when an actress like Sweeney holds back.

“I’ve always believed that I’m not here to tell people what to think,” Sweeney says in GQ. “I’m just here to kind of open their eyes to different ideas.”

In the Trump era, it seems even more Hollywood stars have felt compelled to share their partisan leanings. The examples are numerous.

Perhaps there is a pulling back, however. In addition to Sweeney, I’ve seen some other hopeful signs.

The New York Times recently tried to get actress Jennifer Lawrence, 35, to talk politics and Trump, but she said she didn’t want to add to political divisiveness. She was more open about criticizing the president during his first term. That’s changed.

“I don’t really know if I should,” Lawrence told The Times. “As we’ve learned, election after election, celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for. So then what am I doing (when speaking out against Trump)? I’m just sharing my opinion on something that’s going to add fuel to a fire that’s ripping the country apart.”

Maybe Sweeney and Lawrence can start a trend where the Hollywood elite focus more on their craft and less on grandstanding.

And I hope Sweeney keeps wearing those great jeans.

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X: @Ingrid_Jacques

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sydney Sweeney talks American Eagle jeans ad, triggering liberals all over again | Opinion

Reporting by Ingrid Jacques, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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