Neutrality Isn’t Sexy, Sydney Sweeney: The Inextricable Link Between Art & Politics
Amid the emergence of fascism and unadulterated disregard for humanity in the United States, the arts have served as a prevalent medium for political activism, as they long have. From Bad Bunny’s lush Super Bowl halftime show performance advocating for immigrant rights and the USA Women's Olympic figure skating team’s outspoken advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community to the slew of politically charged Oscar nominations such as Sinners, One Battle After Another, and Bugonia, one thing is clear – politics continue to be everywhere, especially in the arts.
Using various artistic mediums to mull over and draw attention to prevalent discourses is a form of social critique and advocacy that serves to disrupt oppressive systems of power, or, at the very least, make us think. We often want art to mean something, as that is often what transforms it from pleasing to breathtaking. It is this very truth that makes the idea that someone could be “in the arts” but simultaneously “not here to speak on politics” as egregious as it is. Actress Sydney Sweeney's recent statement for Cosmopolitan is not just tone-deaf, but erroneous.
The arts and politics are not mutually exclusive. If anything, it is nearly impossible to have one without the other. Sweeney knows this, too; she must. With a repertoire that includes The Handmaid’s Tale, Christy (2025), and The White Lotus, she is undeniably aware that media and art can, and often do, serve as vessels for political commentary. Unfortunately, I doubt she is genuinely stupid enough not to realize the nature of her chosen career. Rather, the truth is much more sinister.
Sweeney knowingly feigns ignorance and dodges the discourse, as she did when she was questioned about the white supremacist undertones of her American Eagle Outfitters “good jeans” Ad, because it suits her to do so. Just as large corporations now fail to observe Pride Month under the Trump Administration, so too does Sydney Sweeney cater to the political scene in whichever way is most profitable.
The winds changed from left to right, and she followed. Thus, Sweeney has up and abandoned her young female fan base in favor of a largely right-wing male following, a choice that has left the former bewildered and put off. In the same swoop, Sweeney has also leaned into the sexualization she has received from her new fan base, launching a lingerie brand and effectively becoming akin to a right-wing Marilyn Monroe, minus the attempts to subvert the dumb blonde stereotype.
While launching a lingerie brand and wearing revealing dresses does not inherently indicate that one is embracing their status as a sex symbol, Sweeney does not exist in a vacuum. Female desire, and the depiction of it as something both real and reasonable to want, is progressive. Lingerie brands can cater to this message, allowing women not stereotypically portrayed as desirable to reclaim their sexuality and feel so. But Sweeney’s actions and public political statements (or lack thereof) paint a picture of a woman leaning into the objectifying male gaze and using her platform to sell that behavior and her stereotypical beauty to her audience.
Had SYRN showcased an array of bodies akin to Rihanna’s lingerie brand, the conversation might be different. But SYRN’s branding and image are singular; it is mainly Sweeney. One of the first campaigns centers around lace sets, a voluminous blonde blowout, and rose garden-tending, evoking housewife imagery. In essence, viewing this kind of self-objectification as a form of empowerment is a post-feminist delusion not actualizable in any previously lived time period, let alone the current Trump era. It is especially less achievable by Sweeney, given the context. It does not feel like empowerment or liberation; it feels like a playboy-esc powerplay.
As for her explicit public political stances, Sweeney maintains that she believes in a woman’s right to choose when it comes to abortion, but she seldom otherwise pushes back against claims aligning her with Trump and the conservative party. She reasons that she doesn’t deny it because the public will just think it is a false claim made in order to“look better.” The reality is, if she did have beliefs that went against Trump’s conservative values, as many are extreme, I imagine that passion would outweigh concern for public reception.
Regardless, Sweeney’s public stance attempts to appear neutral so as to appease the masses. But neutrality is rarely actually neutral. Countries that remain “neutral” in the face of international conflict are often complicit in heinous crimes, the most salient and historically relevant example being genocide. Sweeney’s negligence in condemning the Trump administration may not yet be akin to that, but the negative implications of wiping one's hands clean of conversations everyone should be a part of are the same. She may not like the label MAGA Barbie, but as she refuses to denounce it and continues to receive support from it, the shoe might just fit.
Sydney Sweeney is a woman. Without political activism, she would not have the rights that allow her to own her own company. As a white, blonde, blue-eyed, and conventionally attractive woman in the United States, she is afforded many privileges. She has the ability to blatantly and continuously disregard politics. She can neglect to deny association with MAGA supporters during a regressive and dangerous time in the United States and world from the safety of her ivory tower, built for her by the efforts of oppressed women of days past. While the Trump administration removes protections for a woman’s right to an abortion, the environment and wildlife, accessible healthcare, DEI programs, and overturns Roe. v. Wade, Sweeney denies footing in the discourse under the guise of art; an incomprehensible argument to anyone actually in the industry.
Sitting comfortably in safety, she avoids accountability, using patriarchal systems to maintain her precarious social position. In doing so, she is ignoring the fires burning right outside her window. Ignorance is bliss, ignorance is privilege; ignorance, especially feigned ignorance, is an act of violence.
Anna Viden is a senior majoring in Psychology with minors in Sociology and Media Studies.