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Sharon Stone is standing firmly behind Sydney Sweeney amid the backlash over the actress's recent American Eagle campaign, and her defense comes with trademark candor.
"It's OK to use what mama gave ya," Stone told reporters Wednesday at Variety's Power of Women Los Angeles event, where Sweeney was among the honorees. "It's really fine. You know, it's hard to be hot, and I think we all know that."
Stone, 67, added that women shouldn't apologize for embracing their beauty. "Everybody has their own kind of hotness, their own thing, and you're supposed to go for that," she continued. "Who are you not to be beautiful? Who you are isn't an accident."
The "Basic Instinct" icon said she's come to admire Sweeney's confidence and self-awareness while working with her on Season 3 of Euphoria. "Sydney understands herself," Stone explained. "She's comfortable, centered, and safe within who she is."
Earlier this year, Sweeney's American Eagle denim ad drew outrage after the brand used the slogan "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," a pun critics accused of promoting eugenics and white supremacy. The campaign's wordplay on "genes" and "jeans" quickly became one of social media's most polarizing talking points.
Stone revealed that the two actresses discussed the controversy on set, comparing Sweeney's experience to that of conservationist Jane Goodall, who once faced sexist remarks about her looks overshadowing her achievements. "Jane said, 'If my legs helped me get funding for research, great,'" Stone recalled. "And Sydney told me, 'Yeah, I'm sure I made a billion dollars for the jean company, and I'm good with that. I'll get another job.'"
Director Paul Feig, who recently worked with Sweeney on The Housemaid, echoed Stone's sentiments, calling the uproar "manufactured" and praising Sweeney as "one of the most confident, savvy people I've ever met."
Alongside Sweeney, Variety's Power of Women event honored Wanda Sykes, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nicole Scherzinger, and Kate Hudson, a celebration of strength, success, and, as Stone reminded everyone, the right to be unapologetically hot.
