Sydney Sweeney leaned into Hollywood bombshell glamour evoking Marilyn Monroe and Pamela Anderson as she walked the red carpet for the premiere of her upcoming film “The Housemaid.”
Her white-hot look comes as American Eagle sees a dramatic stock surge following the “Euphoria” star’s headline-making jeans campaign. According to data from Brokerchooser, the ad boosted the retailer’s share price by 10%, adding roughly $400 million in market value and doubling the brand’s web traffic.
Why Sweeney’s influence hits differently
Branding expert Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR, told Fox News Digital that while Monroe and Anderson each embodied their own era, Sweeney represents something distinctly modern.
“Monroe was a one-off in terms of beauty and pin-up appeal,” Eldridge said. “In many ways, Sweeney is the same for today’s youth but she’s also been selective with her roles and endorsements to avoid being typecast. And unlike Monroe, she’s made a political statement by refusing to bow to the woke mob that vilified the AE tagline.”
Photos from the event show Sweeney channeling old Hollywood glam, yet with a confidence and presence entirely her own.
Eldridge continued, “Sweeney has the superficial beauty of Monroe, but she also exhibits a sense of stoic depth that Monroe never fully demonstrated. She isn’t the second coming of anyone she’s the first Sydney Sweeney.”
The controversial campaign
Sweeney’s fall campaign for American Eagle titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” sparked mixed reactions. One spot featured Sweeney saying:
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring… My jeans are blue.”
Critics argued the play on “genes” echoed historically loaded language. Salon noted the phrase “great genes” had previously been used to celebrate whiteness, thinness, and conventionally attractive traits. Others praised Sweeney for pushing back against “woke” advertising trends.
American Eagle defended the actress, though the company ultimately removed the disputed video from its social platforms. The brand insisted, “The campaign is about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue celebrating how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way.”
Sweeney also received a public show of support from President Donald Trump, who dismissed the backlash as overwrought.
Sweeney responds: ‘I’m against hate and divisiveness’
In a statement to People on Dec. 5, Sweeney said she was “surprised” by the reaction.
“I did it because I love the jeans and the brand,” she said. “I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign.”
She added that remaining silent only “widened the divide,” saying she hopes the new year brings “more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us.”
A new kind of Hollywood icon
While Monroe and Anderson embodied past definitions of glamour and sex appeal, Sweeney’s ascent reflects a modern evolution of that archetype one defined by versatility, commercial power, and a refusal to apologize for success.