Sydney Sweeney Addresses ‘Sex Symbol’ Status and Hoping to Inspire Others

Sydney Sweeney is embracing her inner femme fatale.

Sweeney, 28, opened up about the acting roles she accepts and being cast as one of Hollywood’s leading bombshells while chatting with Variety in an interview published on Monday, October 27.

“I play a lot of very divisive characters, and I think that a lot of people think they know me, but they don’t,” she said. “So when people think, ‘Ah, she’s a sex symbol,’ or ‘She’s leaning into that,’ I’m like, ‘No, I just feel good and I’m doing it for myself and I feel strong.’”

Sweeney seemingly referenced her controversial American Eagle ad — which made headlines in July — while pointing out that she doesn’t want to dull her shine for anyone.

“I hope that I can inspire other women to be confident and just flaunt what they got and feel good because you shouldn’t have to apologize or hide or cover up in any room,” she said.

The actress’ denim ad sparked conversations about beauty standards and eugenics as she boasted about her “great genes” in the campaign. Following the backlash, a source exclusively told Us Weekly, “Sydney thinks this whole thing has been blown out of proportion.” The insider added, “She’s focusing her energy on work.”

American Eagle also addressed the criticism in a statement posted on August 1, which read,“‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story.” The statement added, “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

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This isn’t the first time Sweeney has gotten candid about her sexy roles. In 2022, she told The Hollywood Reporter that she has “no problem” with filming intimate scenes. (Throughout her career, Sweeney has filmed sex scenes in Anyone But You, Euphoria, The Voyeurs, and The Handmaid’s Tale.)

“People forget that I’m playing a character, they think, ‘Oh, she gets naked on screen, she’s a sex symbol,’ and I can’t get past that,’” she said. “I have no problems with those scenes, and I won’t stop doing them, but I wish there was an easier way to have an open conversation about what we’re assuming about actors in the industry.”

That same year, she told Variety that she’s always working with intimacy coordinators while filming.

“We choreograph the whole thing,” she explained. “Sometimes there’s yoga mats that you can put in between each other. And even if you have agreed to something, they ask you on the spot on the day, ‘Did you change your mind? Because you can.’ It’s really nice. I’ve never felt uncomfortable.”

She added that her Euphoria character has helped her love her curves even more.

“I have weirdly become very confident with my body through Cassie,” she said.

Sweeney echoed that sentiment in October 2023, when she told Glamour UK that she “used to feel uncomfortable about how big my boobs were” back in high school. She added that she planned to get breast reduction when she “turned 18.”

However, after reaching the milestone age, her mom, Lisa Sweeney, convinced her not to undergo the surgery.

“My mom told me, ‘Don’t do it. You’ll regret it in college.’ And I’m so glad I didn’t,” the actress gushed. “I like them. They’re my best friends.”