Sydney Sweeney has been one of the most negatively talked about celebrities this year, and yet she chose to refuse to defend herself, why?
The 28-year-old actress took the internet by storm with her American Eagle jeans campaign this summer, which was believed to be promoting eugenics due to the pun in “genes” and “jeans,” and social media users are amazed at her deafening silence instead of clearing the air.
The Euphoria actress recently sat down for an interview with GQ Magazine, and the journalist asked her if she would like to comment on the backlash, but Sweeney did not engage with the question, simply stating that this is not an issue she would talk about.
Although the Anyone But You star’s social media is flooded with criticism and attacks, and her recently released movie, Christy, has flopped because of the public boycott, she appears to pay no heed to the public’s opinion.
Analysing Sweeney’s stance on the matter, many experts have given their insights on whether or not silence works as a productive PR strategy.
Content creator and pop culture critic Zachary Hourihane explained in his recent YouTube video that Sweeney is unbothered about the negative reviews and backlash because she never sought out positive public opinion.
The journalist noted that the White Lotus actress has clearly demonstrated that her goals are fame and acting, and not being a well-liked celebrity, which is why she is focused on working on her acting projects and production company, ignoring all the noise.
While Grayce McCormick, founder of Lightfinder PR, had a different opinion, as she told Daily Mail that “ignoring cultural criticism isn’t empowerment,” but “avoidance.”
The Hollywood expert shared that while silence as a PR strategy works for some actors, it gets more complicated if it could potentially risk their “integrity” which in this case she believed it does.
However, on the other hand, public celebrity apologies have also come to be seen as “performative” and “cliché” to the extent of becoming ironic on social media.
It remains to be seen if Sweeney’s approach changes with time, but for the time being, she is busy working on the new season of Euphoria, and her movie, The Housemaid.
