Sydney Sweeney is addressing the backlash she received over her controversial American Eagle jeans campaign. "I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans," the Christy star, 28, said in an interview with GQ published on Tuesday, November 4. "All I wear are jeans. I'm literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life." Sweeney made headlines in August after American Eagle launched the campaign "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," a play on words for good genes. In the ad, Sweeney seductively told the camera, "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue." Sydney Sweeney Shuts Down Question About Controversial American Eagle Ad The ad sparked a conversation online about eugenics, which is a discredited belief that aimed to improve human genetics. The study was adopted by the Nazis and is associated with white supremacy. The campaign brought out many critics, but also earned the support of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, which Sweeney called "surreal." While there was online backlash towards Sweeney and the clothing brand, the actress kept her phone out of sight and focused on work. "I kind of just put my phone away. I was filming every day," she said. "I'm filming Euphoria, so I'm working 16-hour days and I don't really bring my phone on set, so I work and then I go home and I go to sleep. So I didn't really see a lot of it." Sweeney added, "When I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear." There were also calls to boycott the brand, but reports later stated that American Eagle's stock price actually increased. Sweeney shared that she was "aware of the numbers as it was going." "So when I saw all the headlines of in-store visits were down a certain percentage, none of it was true," she said. "It was all made up, but nobody could say anything because [the company was] in their quiet period. So it was all just a lot of talk. And because I knew at the end of the day what that ad was for, and it was great jeans, it didn't affect me one way or the other." When asked if she was worried that the backlash would affect the reception of her future projects, including her upcoming biopic about boxer Christy Martin, Sweeney explained she hoped that the film's "powerful story" would bring them in. Sydney Sweeney Makes 1st Public Appearance Since American Eagle Drama "I think that if somebody is closed off because of something they read online to a powerful story like Christy, then I hope that something else can open their eyes to being open to art and being open to learning," she said. "And I'm not going to be affected by that. " While Sweeney did not speak out about the ad at the time, American Eagle released a statement defending the campaign's messaging. "'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story," the August statement read. "'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans," the message read. "Her jeans. Her story."