A few days ago, Hollywood found itself confronting an uncomfortable collision between modern celebrity marketing and historic preservation when Sydney Sweeney was revealed to have climbed the Hollywood Sign and draped it with bras as part of a promotional stunt. The action—carried out without permission—immediately ignited outrage, legal scrutiny, and a broader debate over who gets to use one of Los Angeles’s most protected and symbolic landmarks.
By Allan R. Ellenberger
Video that has since been widely shared online captures Sweeney and some of her crew entering a fenced-off area near the sign after dark and attaching the lingerie. When she revealed herself as the perpetrator shortly thereafter, the stunt was immediately tied to promoting her new lingerie company. (It should hardly need saying at this point that the whole thing was designed to attract viral attention.) It also elicited a quick and unequivocal statement from the stewards of the landmark itself.
Representatives of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, owners and licensors of the Hollywood Sign, said that they had not been asked for authorization. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce added that permission would be needed for commercial purposes such as physical access, filming or branding with the sign and that no such permission was ever requested. Hollywood Sign Trust, the group contracted by the city of Los Angeles to provide day-to-day protection of the Hollywood Sign, reiterated that message.
The distinction matters legally. Although it's been said that Sweeney received a blanket FilmLA permit to film in the vicinity of the sign. The permits do not grant access to climb the sign itself or affix any item to the sign. LAPD officials have stated entering the sign illegally is considered misdemeanor trespassing, punishable by a fine and possible jail sentence. However, we should note that no charges have been brought at this time. Los Angeles officials have not dismissed the possibility of pressing charges.
The public response came swiftly. In Los Angeles, preservationists and historians had reacted with outrage that someone would deface something so iconic. Created in 1923 as a property developer billboard, the Hollywood Sign has since come to represent the movie business and the American dream itself. It's protected for a reason: it's iconic. Others cynically described the stunt as deliberate publicity hunting at a time when outrage is king
Commentators on social media responded with everything from demands for justice to shoulder shrugs that celebrities face no actual consequences. Overseas entertainment media framed the controversy as yet another instance of celebrity commodification encroaching upon public territory.
Sweeney has yet to comment on the legal aspects of the stunt, though advertisements for her lingerie line have kept coming. In the meantime, her silence has fueled speculation on whether the stunt was ill-conceived bravado or calculated risk taking that put buzz over tact at the forefront of decision making.
However, what is clear is that crossing the Hollywood Sign has boundaries Los Angeles residents aren’t sure should ever be pushed. Whether or not Sweeney faces charges or if the case slowly dissipates, her stunt has reopened one question Los Angeles has dealt with for decades: at what point does personal branding collide with collective history? For many, that answer seemed apparent as soon as bras were strewn across the hill overlooking Hollywood and into the signs highly guarded history.
This story raises important questions—share your thoughts in the comments, and feel free to pass it along to others following Hollywood’s current headlines.
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