Breaking down the Sydney Sweeney effect

When Euphoria dropped in 2019, a new wave of aesthetics, culture, Halloween costumes and actors emerged, taking over the teen and young adult space. Among these emerging actors came Sydney Sweeney, an actress who would take this opportunity and propel herself to the forefront of Hollywood, carving herself a spot in the industry and among audiences. Sweeney’s journey, however, did not start with Euphoria.

She had been acting since she was far younger, playing guest roles until she started landing more prominent roles in shows like the TV adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale, Netflix’s teen comedy-drama series Everything Sucks!, and a psychological thriller miniseries called Sharp Objects. Needless to say, Sweeney was no stranger in front of a camera, and her performance in Euphoria really proved it, with multiple viral moments emerging from the series, many circling around her phenomenal portrayal of the character.

From her iconic inner monologue in the bathroom scene, shouting and rambling about her love for Nate Jacobs, to the fight with the aforementioned Nate Jacobs, where she truly showed her capability of taking on a darker and “crazy” role and who could forget the iconic multi-step skincare ritual that was mass-recreated all across TikTok and Instagram Reels when it first aired. Needless to say, Sydney Sweeney’s grip on the cultural space has been prevalent since her time on Euphoria and has continued to carry on till date. 

With over 50 projects under her belt, Sweeney has already created an impressive filmography at her young age. With roles in acclaimed films like Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Christy and Housemaid, she has proven her range and versatility, working across a range of genres from thriller, drama, action and romance. Her influence, however, reaches beyond the world of cinema, with direct influence in the trends that steer pop-culture—creating them rather than following them. Her image has been multi-faceted, teetering between aspirational and the typical girl-next-door. In a way, the image that Sweeney has perfected over the years has been quintessentially American, bringing about old Hollywood glamour mixed with a girl who doesn't mind getting her hands dirty. 

Her fashion evolution has been particularly telling. Sweeney can move from bombshell glamour to stripped-back Americana without appearing as though she is trying to inhabit someone else's aesthetic. Her skin-tight blush pink Miu Miu gown adorned with sequins and boys across that she wore during the 2023 Met Gala is a look that can be definitive of her fashion, at least one side of it. The next year, at the same event, Sweeney subverted expectations with a sky blue Miu Miu gown, ditching her iconic American blonde hair for a shaggy black bob, collectively arising gasps from across the red carpet and the internet. Then of course, we cannot forget the denim.

In 2025, Sydney became the face for American Eagle’s advertisement campaign, with the viral slogan “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans”. This campaign would subsequently become one of the most highly debated celebrity advertisements of 2025, gathering opinions from across the internet as it became one of her most controversial moments in the limelight. However, in a way, this instance only cemented her presence in today’s cultural landscape. American Eagle's decision to bring Sweeney back for its 2026 summer campaign says as much about her commercial power as it does about the clothes she wears. 

Over time, Sweeney has started taking more ownership of her own image as well. In January 2026, she launched SYRN, her very own lingerie label, turning the very thing that Hollywood and advertising have long used to market her into something that was finally under her control. Her image would no longer be reliant on the conglomerates that held her under a contract but purely on herself. The brand’s campaigns have heavily leaned into her playful, retro inflected interpretation of femininity, including its recent birthday-themed collection.

Sweeney, throughout her years in the limelight has had a rocky yet influential rise that has only continued to grow. Perhaps the secret behind what makes a celebrity of her calibre truly become a cultural phenomenon does not lie in universal approval, but cultural gravity. Sweeney’s name can sell jeans, dominate red carpets, generate headlines or even launch a lingerie brand, and if that’s not the definition of a cultural phenomenon, what is? 

Text by Judah Abujam 

Edited by Sabrina Mathews