Sydney Sweeney has released a new holiday video for her lingerie brand, SYRN, on 27 October, drawing criticism over its use of childhood nostalgia in adult fashion advertising. The video references the 1990 Christmas comedy Home Alone and follows previous backlash over Sweeney's Cindy Lou Who-inspired look referencing the 2000 Jim Carrey-led comedy How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
The advertisement recreates familiar scenes from Home Alone featuring Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister. In one segment, Sweeney applies shaving cream to her face to mimic a Santa Claus beard. She then shaves it off with a disposable razor and imitates Kevin's surprised expression.
Another scene shows Sweeney sitting cross-legged in a burgundy armchair, wearing a cream-colored knit sweater and eating ice cream. This is a reference to Kevin's feast after he discovers he is home alone.
Sexualizing home alone https://t.co/qKnjLDnfla
— Cmilozi (@Cmilozi) October 27, 2026
Critics Question the Campaign's Creative Choices
The Home Alone-inspired ad has drawn criticism on social media, with some users concerned about its airing during major events like the World Series.
This stems from an X user who wrote, 'the one thing about the Sydney Sweeney ad is it is playing when lots of families are letting their kids stay up to watch the world series and naked lady on the tv not ideal.'
the one thing about the sydney sweeney ad is it is playing when lots of families are letting their kids stay up to watch the world series and naked lady on the tv not ideal
— Emily Stewart (@EmilyStewartM) October 27, 2026
Another critic questioned the campaign's use of childhood nostalgia, writing: 'Oh and just when you think she couldn't get anymore disgusting, Sydney Sweeney has photoshoots dressed like sexualized Home Alone Cindy Lou Who and The Shining'
A separate commenter accused Sweeney of intentionally provoking a reaction, saying, 'She knows what she's doing and she literally just doesn't care. And men will constantly weaponize her behaviour and her looks against us claiming we are jealous. No we aren't jealous of a MAGA pickme, this isn't empowering it's PDFil'.
This criticism reflects earlier backlash to Sweeney's Cindy Lou Who-inspired look from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. One X user suggested she could have chosen an adult character from the film played by Christine Baranski instead of a child.
'She could have dressed up as Martha May Whovier, who was an adult in that movie and whose visual identity was very sexy but no,' the user wrote. 'Sydney Sweeney caters to pedoes.'
Sydney Sweeney has decided to dress up as child Cindy Lou Who from the Grinch to sell her tacky lingerie.
— The Spiritual Queen of Whiteness 🐻❄️ (@BelieveChe95988) October 26, 2026
She could have dressed up as Martha May Whovier, who was an adult in that movie and whose visual identity was very sexy but no.
Sydney Sweeney caters to pedoes. pic.twitter.com/X4pLX9DN7i
The Line Between Nostalgia and Adult Advertising
The advertisement video promotes SYRN's Hibernation Nation collection, which includes cable-knit sweaters, button-front cardigans, cropped tops, foldover shorts, and matching dog sweaters. The brand's holiday collection draws on recognizable scenes from classic Christmas films to create a familiar theme.
The Home Alone advertisement relies on Kevin McCallister's comic antics in the movies recreated by Sweeney, while the Cindy Lou Who-inspired look received a different response due to the character's strong association with childhood. The latter prompted the criticism over the perceived attempt to sexualize a child character associated with Christmas.
Could Attention-Driven Marketing Affect Her Career?
The controversy has also raised concerns that deliberately provocative advertising could pose long-term reputational risks for Sweeney.
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One Reddit user questioned the strategy's sustainability and wrote, 'I get that she's ragebaiting for attention and marketing purposes, but I would think continuing to play into this and constantly trolling would harm her career in the long run.'
'She's starting to venture into lolcow territory. Are people, and the industry, going to take her seriously in the future?'
