Sydney Sweeney under fire for ‘disgusting’ lingerie ad posing as beloved child characterLauren Martinez Wed, October 21, 2026 at 6:50 PM UTC
Sydney Sweeney faces back;ash for newest lingerie ad -Credit:Getty Images (Getty Images)
Sydney Sweeney is facing a new level of backlash after revealing the latest ad for her SYRN lingerie line, in which she poses as a beloved child character to promote the new holiday shop.
The actress, 29, shared a glimpse of the new holiday collection in a video posted to social media on Wednesday, October 21, but some were outraged and even cried that it was “disgusting” after realizing she had mimicked Cindy Lou Who from The Grinch to promote the launch.
The launch and backlash came shortly after she left little to the imagination with her 'Send Nudes' collection, which also drew major backlash.
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Fans took to the comments to share their concerns, with one user writing, “this woman is DISGUSTING,” and another agreeing, “this is disgusting fr.”
“Making a child character sexual isn’t it….and yes it is that deep,” another person fumed, while another person questioned, “Why is she posing as child characters in a lingerie ad?” Another remarked that it was the wrong move for the actress, who is no stranger to controversial ads.
Fans were outraged that in some of the images, she posed as child's character, Cindy Lou Who
“Is she actually turning Cindy Lou, the [purest] sweetest child into a sex symbol!?!? Fire that creative director and get a brain Sydney Sweeney,” one person wrote.
The video begins with Sweeney sitting in a chair, wearing a cozy sweater and short shorts, as she digs into a bowl of ice cream and watches television, channeling Home Alone's 8-year-old protagonist, Kevin McCallister.
She then appears posing as the iconic Dr. Seuss character, with her hair in the signature braided style.
Sydney Sweeney faced backlash for her latest ad campaign for her Syrn lingerie line
In the clip, the Cindy Lou Who version of Sweeney carries presents while wearing a short, fur-lined cape and a blue plaid short nightgown, then stands next to the Christmas tree and plays with a string of lights while fully clad in plaid pajamas.
The video then shows her emulating other characters as she wears significantly sexier items from the collection, including a seductive black lace bodysuit, a red bra and panties with a large bow, and an ice-blue ensemble featuring lace and a thong.
However, some came to her defense, pointing out that while it was tied to the racy campaign, the attire where she appeared to emulate Cindy Lou Who, who infamously helps the Grinch get over his disdain for Christmas in the Dr. Seuss tale How the Grinch Stole Christmas, wasn't actually lingerie.
Many expressed anger over the character being used in an ad that included depictions of sexy lingerie
"For once im gonna say the people are overreacting, the cindy lou ones weren't lingerie," one person said, while another added, "Lmao you can tell who didn’t watch the clip. She did NOT wear the lingerie while dressed as Cindy. Lmao."
"At least is in pj’s," a third wrote, while a fourth went, "What I wanna know is what kind of ice cream that she was eating because that looks delicious."
The backlash comes from a year in which Sweeney has continued to face scorn over various campaigns she has had, both for her brand and for others.
Others defended the campaign, the latest one that sparked controversy for the star -Credit:syrn/Instagram
She recently faced scrutiny from female athletes after posing naked in ads for a sports betting site, where she used strategically placed sports balls to cover up certain parts of her body.
She also faced significant scorn in 2025 after a viral American Eagle Jeans ad, where she was accused of promoting eugenics with wordplay on “genes” and “jeans.”
The ads were eventually pulled, but they also led to the actress being outed politically as a registered Republican and to several film releases in a row that were determined to be flops.
Source: Entertainment