British actress Aimee Lou Wood has very publicly slammed fellow The White Lotus star Sydney Sweeney.
The British star, 31, weighed in after celebrity photographer Misan Harriman shared a clip from a new GQ interview with Sydney in which she brushed off the backlash surrounding her American Eagle ad that sparked controversy over its slogan: “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans”.
“Presuming that you are not a white supremacist, at least say how horrified you were by how this campaign was amplified and celebrated by unrepentant racists who believe in eugenics,” he wrote.
“At least recognise the harm your jeans campaign has caused black folk. The undertone of the campaign is that your genetics are superior to others – the play on words is clear as day and racists LOVED it!”
“So, presuming you didn’t know when you shot it, you certainly do now, and it matters. This ain’t it!”
After watching the clip and reading the caption, Lou Wood simply replied with an emoji of someone throwing up.
Her reaction quickly went viral on social media, with fans sharing screenshots of the interaction on Reddit and Twitter.
Her comment was inundated with heart emojis and remarks from fans supporting her response, with one saying: “You’re a real one, Aimee Lou Wood!”
The backlash at the time for Sweeney was immense.
In one of the ads, the 27-year-old actress, dressed in full denim, walked toward an American Eagle billboard and painted over it.
The word “Genes” was crossed out with a white line to be corrected to “Jeans.”
In another one of the campaign videos, the actress can be seen buttoning and zipping up her jeans while lying down. A voiceover features Sweeney talking about how genes that are passed from parent to offspring often determine traits such as “hair colour, personality, and even eye colour.”
Sweeney, who has blue eyes, ended the video by looking at the camera and saying, “My jeans are blue.”
Several TikTok users called out the ad for allegedly being “Nazi propaganda” and a “racialised dog whistle,” arguing that it praised Sweeney’s genetic traits of blond hair and blue eyes.
Several fans agreed with the TikTok user’s sentiments and shared their disdain for the ad in the comments section of American Eagle’s post.
“Who approved this campaign?” asked one user.
“This is what happens when you have no ppl of colour in a room. Particularly in a time like this. This ad campaign got so caught up in this ‘clever’ play on words and this stunt, the people in the room missed what was so blatantly obvious to anyone not white,” added another.
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