Sydney Sweeney is out promoting her new movie The Housemaid, and she’s finally addressing the summer dust-up over her American Eagle jeans campaign. The ad – with the cheeky line “Sydney Sweeney has great genes” – sparked outrage from people who claimed it hinted at genetic superiority or racial undertones. She told People she was blindsided by the backlash and made it clear she doesn’t support any of the ideas critics tried to pin on her. Sweeney said she normally stays quiet when the press swings at her, but this time silence only made things worse, so she wanted to clear the air. Her message now: she wants the new year to be about unity, not division, and anyone who actually knows her knows she tries to bring people together.