Sydney Sweeney responds to being labelled ‘MAGA Barbie’: “I’m not here to speak on politics”
Sydney Sweeney has responded to recent online backlash against her ambivalence towards politics, which has led to many referring to the actor as ‘MAGA Barbie’.
In a new interview with Cosmopolitan, the Anyone But You actor was asked how she feels about the label “MAGA Barbie” that often floats around the comment section of many of her posts. She responded, “I’ve never been here to talk about politics.”
Sweeney added, “I’ve always been here to make art, so this is just not a conversation I want to be at the forefront of. And I think because of that, people want to take it even further and use me as their own pawn. But it’s somebody else assigning something to me, and I can’t control that.”
The interviewer picked up on her consistent refusal to use her platform to speak about politics; when Sweeney was asked if this would ever change, Sweeney responded, “No.”
She elaborated, “I’m not a political person. I’m in the arts. I’m not here to speak on politics. That’s not an area I’ve ever even imagined getting into. It’s not why I became who I am.”
The Euphoria star continued, “I became an actor because I like to tell stories, but I don’t believe in hate in any form. I believe we should all love each other and have respect and understanding for one another.”
Sweeney then referenced other women in the industry who have helped her get through the bouts of online hate, such as Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried, Sharon Stone, Maude Apatow, and Jamie Lee Curtis. “They’ve all really shown up for me in beautiful ways. They have been great rocks to lean on,” she added.
She admitted that navigating the public sphere with untrue narratives proliferating daily is “just not healthy for me to digest.” She clarified that, above all, she is not “a hateful person.”
Recently, one of Sweeney’s publicity stunts backfired, as she hung bras over the world-famous Hollywood sign in Los Angeles to promote her new underwear company.
However, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which owns the IP rights to the sign, said it did not grant permission for the stunt to be pulled off. Nonetheless, no police reports were filed at the time.
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