(NewsNation) — Sydney Sweeney has returned to social media for the first time since the controversy surrounding her American Eagle jeans campaign.
The actress posted a carousel of behind-the-scenes photos on her Instagram account Wednesday promoting her upcoming movie “Americana.”
“A few years ago I filmed this little movie with some friends and now you get to meet penny jo,” Sweeney wrote, adding a heart emoji.
American Eagle backlash
Sweeney’s return online comes after weeks of uproar over her American Eagle denim campaign. Some critics accused the “Euphoria” actress and the company of evoking eugenic-era language that promoted the idea that white beauty standards were superior to others.
American Eagle’s fall campaign features Sweeney in head-to-toe denim, standing beside a billboard that reads “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes.” She crosses out “genes” and replaces it with “jeans,” highlighting the brand’s signature denim.
“Who on your marketing team said this was a good idea,” one social media user wrote under American Eagle’s Instagram post.
Another person said, “It’s giving ‘Subtle 1930’s Germany.’”
Some fans of the “Anyone But You” actress defended Sweeney. “Woke advertising is dead. Sydney Sweeney killed it,” a social media user said, according to the Express Tribune.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 10: Sydney Sweeney attends the “Echo Valley” European Premiere at the BFI Southbank on June 10, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images) 
Sydney Sweeney at Lionsgate’s “Americana” Los Angeles Special Screening held at Desert 5 Spot on August 03, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images) 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 04: Sydney Sweeney attends the “Echo Valley” New York premiere at AMC Lincoln Square 13 on June 04, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic) 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 01: Billboards of actress Sydney Sweeney is seen outside of an American Eagle store on August 01, 2025 in New York City. American Eagle’s recent denim ad campaign featuring Sweeney has drawn backlash for language and imagery that critics say echoes eugenics-era rhetoric, following a tagline referencing “great genes” alongside visuals of Sweeney in blue jeans. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) 
VENICE, ITALY – JUNE 27: Sydney Sweeney is sighting at the Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Wedding on June 27, 2025 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Ernesto Ruscio/GC Images) 
Sydney Sweeney attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 05, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images) 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 05: Sydney Sweeney attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 05, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images) 
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 10: Sydney Sweeney attends the “Echo Valley” European Premiere at the BFI Southbank on June 10, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) 
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 10: Sydney Sweeney attends the “Echo Valley” European Premiere at the BFI Southbank on June 10, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
Sydney Sweeney gets Trump’s support
Amid the backlash, and Sweeney’s silence, President Donald Trump weighed in on the controversy, revealing that he liked the ad campaign because Sweeney is a Republican.
“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!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Aug. 4.
The president also took the opportunity to blast Taylor Swift while defending Sweeney.
“Just look at Woke singer Taylor Swift. Ever since I alerted the world as to what she was by saying on TRUTH that I can’t stand her (HATE!),” Trump said in the same post. “She was booed out of the Super Bowl and became, NO LONGER HOT. The tide has seriously turned — Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be.”
Fans continue to support Sydney Sweeney
In Sweeney’s social media comeback, fans were quick to praise the actress for angering the “woke community” and “liberals.”
“The woman who made the woke community cry,” one commenter wrote, while another said, “They hate her because they ain’t her.”