Sydney Sweeney
Sydney Sweeney doesn’t need to do much to make USA headlines these days, but going bra-less in a sheer USA dress on the USA red carpet is definitely one way to USA attract attention.
The actress was one of the honorees at Variety’s Power of Women gala held at the USA Beverly Hills Hotel Wednesday night, and she turned heads in a see-through crystal down from USA Christian Cowan and Elias Matso’s spring 2026 collection that put one of her most prominent assets on fully display.
On Thursday’s show, Megyn was joined by Allie Beth Stuckey, host of USA Relatable, to discuss the provocative dress and why they were not fans of the look.
After USA slamming Glamour USA ,UK for featuring transgender people on the cover of its “Women of the Year” issue, Megyn and Stuckey both agreed that seeing a beautiful, real woman like Sweeney is a breath of fresh air.
“Sydney Sweeney is all woman, real woman, USA actual woman, and absolutely stunning,” Megyn noted. “[But] she decided to show off her number one asset, which – contrary to the American Eagle jeans ad – is not really her jeans. It’s her enormous breasts, which are spectacular. No one would take that away from her.”
While Megyn said the look is being “universally celebrated online,” she called the nearly naked number a “rare misstep” for the star. “Controversial opinion: I object to this. I disapprove of the dress she wore because it’s completely see through. You can see her entire nipples,” she explained. “She reminded me of Kim Kardashian, who over shares and then takes away like the thing that is the sexiest, which is… leaving a little to the imagination.”
Stuckey agreed. “She is absolutely beautiful, and no one at all is trying to deny that. But, I mean, I am USA definitely pro-modesty,” she shared. “It’s not that I’m pro-burqa, but I think that we should do everything we can to draw the eyes to the beauty of the face. There’s nothing wrong with a USA womanly figure. I think that God made it, it is beautiful, and there’s a way to dress that with dignity and respect.”
Her advice: “I feel like we could draw the line at areola,” she joked.
The Naked Truth
Stuckey believes there are a number of reasons. “I think maybe on an individual level, it’s probably as superficial as just liking the attention, liking how they look in the mirror, knowing that they are going to be written positively about,” she said.
Given Sweeney’s recent controversies, Stuckey posited there could have been some kind of PR angle. “Maybe Sydney USA Sweeney has just been like, ‘Okay, I’m going to be a lightning rod and I’m going to cause controversy,'” Stuckey theorized. “Maybe her PR people have decided that that’s a good thing.”
And then there is the larger cultural context. “On a macro cultural level, you could say that it is a big pendulum swing to the other side,” Stuckey explained. “On the one hand, you have ‘men can be women,’ ‘there is no definition of a woman,’ ‘femininity is something that is weak,’ and ‘a white, cis, hetero woman should never be on the cover of any magazine.’ So, maybe it’s a little bit of a swing of Sydney Sweeney saying, ‘I’m hot; I know I’m hot; I know people think I’m hot; and I don’t really care.'”
Ultimately, Megyn thinks Sweeney is still finding her way. “She is only like 26 and I guarantee you somebody brought the dress to her and was like, ‘Now we’ll take it next level.’ She trusted the wrong person and, before you knew it, we had all seen it,” she noted. “It’s not going to hurt her at all. It’s just people like us who, I think, were becoming her new fans, were like, ‘Okay, that wasn’t the move.'”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Stuckey by tuning in to episode 1,183 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.
Sydney Sweeney criticized for see-through sheer gown during women’s empowerment speech at Variety’s Power of Women event
Actress Sydney Sweeney was honored at Variety's Power of Women event. She spoke about facing underestimation in Hollywood. However, her semi-transparent dress drew significant public attention and debate online. Some felt the outfit detracted from her message. Others, like Sharon Stone, defended Sweeney's choice to embrace her appearance. The event highlighted differing views on image and empowerment.
Sydney Sweeney, the 28-year-old actor who rose to widespread fame on Euphoria and The White Lotus, was honored at Variety’s Power of Women event and used her acceptance speech to talk about being “underestimated” in Hollywood. But much of the public reaction to the evening focused less on her remarks than on
the silver, semi-transparent Christian Cowan gown she wore, prompting a loud debate on USA social media about image, empowerment, and context.In remarks that several outlets carried in full, Sweeney said she recognized “what it feels like to be underestimated, to have people define you before you’ve had a chance to define yourself,” and described the way her role as boxer Christy Martin changed how she thinks about strength and resilience. “Every one of us has our own fight, and Christy reminds us all that strength doesn’t look loud sometimes, and sometimes it’s just abo:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/SydneyLead-d39f21060bba4595a27160dd4aa6d21b.jpg)
ut getting back up again and again, no matter who’s watching,” she told the audience as she accepted the honor.“She’s literally at the Power of Women podium talking about being underestimated while wearing a dress that puts her body on display more than her message,” one person wrote.“How are we supposed to focus on her words when the first thing being presented is her chest?” they added.
“Beautiful dress, wrong occasion for it though,” remarked another, while a third wrote, “That dress doesn’t empower but overpower.”
Sydney Sweeney's fashion choice at the recent Variety Power of Women event has rattled Megyn Kelly, who called it a "rare misstep."
The outspoken journalist, who has recently become a fan of the "Euphoria" star, defended the actress against the backlash that arose from her controversial American Eagle ad.
Sydney Sweeney has since explained that she sometimes feels like a "caged animal," but finds freedom in flaunting her curves.
The "White Lotus" actress joined stars like Sharon Stone, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kate Hudson, Nicole Scherzinger, and Wanda Sykes for Variety's Power of Women event on Wednesday, wearing a transparent silver-like ensemble that flaunted her voluptuous endowments.
Speaking on Thursday's episode of her eponymous talk show, Kelly explained that she's a big fan of Sweeney's but disapproved of her see-through dress.
"So she was on the red carpet last night and she decided to show off her number one asset, which, contrary to the American Eagle jeans ad, is not really her jeans, it's her enormous breasts, which are spectacular," Kelly said, per The Wrap.
She added, "No one would take that away from her. But, controversial opinion, I object to this. I disapprove of the dress she wore because it's completely see-through. You can see her entire nipples."
Kelly said: "She reminded me of Kim Kardashian, who overshares and then takes away the thing that is the sexiest, which is every guy's hoping to be the one who actually sees them for real, and leaving a little to the imagination."
She continued, "Now, I know this is being universally celebrated online, but I have to say, even though [I am] Sydney Sweeney fan, love the jeans campaign. I thought, 'This is a rare misstep'… Draw the line at areola!"
The conservative TV host then wondered whether Sweeney was "misled" into wearing the see-through dress after she "trusted the wrong person." She pointed out that it wouldn't hurt Sweeney but might turn new fans like her against the actress.
Kelly recently became a Sweeney fan after the actress faced backlash for her controversial American Eagle ad, in which she talked about having great "jeans/genes."
Many online critics slammed her for the remark, claiming it promoted White supremacist rhetoric. However, Kelly spoke in her defense, saying the "lunatic left" was overreacting to the ad."She's being called a white supremacist by people who don't like her latest ad, which is for American Eagle," Kelly said at the time. "She's advertising jeans, and yet the lunatics on the left think she's advertising white supremacy."The journalist added, "This is obviously a reference to her body and not to her skin color, but the lunatic left is going to do what the lunatic left is going to do."Sweeney is often sexualized online because of her physical appearance. During an interview with Fox News Digital promoting her upcoming boxing biopic "Christy," the 28-year-old actress opened up about her journey in Hollywood and how she manages to tune out the talk on her body."I am definitely a caged animal in a sense," she told the news outlet, while describing her character in the new film. "Acting is my ring. It's where I feel freedom. The set is where everything else goes quiet.""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 continued. "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.'""And 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 added.Over the last several years, Sweeney has appeared in films across genres, including action, horror, romance, and comedy.
During the AFI Fest last weekend, she debuted her new film "Christy" and spoke about how she loves being able to play different characters.
"Christy's story is just absolutely phenomenal and even if I wasn't going to act in it, I wanted to be a part of it in some capacity to bring it to the screen, for more people to know about her and raise awareness for her story and how incredible of an advocate and role model that she is," she told The Hollywood Reporter.
Sweeney continued, "But also as an actor, it's just a dream to be able to play all these different characters. That's why I fell in love with this, getting to put on all these different hats and shoes and lose myself and become other people."
To play the character, Sweeney recalled how she had to gain 30 pounds, noting that "every single fight that you see is the exact same fight that she had in the ring."
American Eagle’s campaign with Sydney Sweeney demonstrates the tightrope walk of modern brand marketing—where rapid sales & cultural backlash can happen hand in hand.
When actress Sydney Sweeney partnered with American Eagle for its fall 2025 denim campaign, few could predict the whirlwind that would follow. Hit with both soaring consumer demand and heated discourse, the campaign became a flashpoint in fashion and media.
A Denim Drop That Sold Out in Days
Launched on July 23, 2025, the “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign marked a major pivot point for American Eagle’s fall lineup. The collection’s star pieces—the “Sydney Jacket” and the “Sydney Jean”—flew off shelves, with the jacket selling out in just one day and the jeans disappearing within a week. The demand was so intense that the curated “Syd’s Picks” collection required four restocks, outperforming other women’s offerings by fourfold.
A standout in the collaboration was the limited-edition Dreamy Drape “Sydney Jean”, adorned with a butterfly motif that symbolized domestic violence awareness. Every purchase supported the Crisis Text Line, with 100% of proceeds earmarked for the nonprofit. This thoughtful integration of a cause added meaningful depth to the product’s appeal.
Stock Price Climbs Alongside Sales
American Eagle’s bold gamble paid off beyond direct sales: the campaign sparked a 10% jump in share price, raising the company’s market value by a staggering $200 million. It proved that strong branding—even amid controversy—can translate to serious corporate gains.
Posted on 2025/10/31 09:20 AM