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American Eagle's Sydney Sweeney ad faces heat over ‘Jeans’ wordplay
The campaign, which launched last week, features the Emmy-nominated Euphoria and White Lotus star wearing denim-on-denim and delivering the line, “My genes are blue,” as part of the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans".
Neither American Eagle nor Sweeney—known for her breakout roles in Euphoria and The White Lotus—have responded publicly.
A new advertising campaign featuring actor Sydney Sweeney for American Eagle has ignited a fierce online debate, with critics accusing the brand of promoting regressive ideals, while supporters hail it as a return to simpler, less politically charged advertising.
The campaign, which launched last week, features the Emmy-nominated Euphoria and White Lotus star wearing denim-on-denim and delivering the line, “My genes are blue,” as part of the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans".
The wordplay, paired with Sweeney’s blonde hair and blue eyes, has triggered backlash from some social media users, who argue it carries racial undertones and echoes problematic ideas of beauty standards rooted in whiteness and genetic essentialism.
The controversy quickly escalated, with some critics accusing the campaign of promoting “white supremacy” and “eugenics". Others described it as “sterile,” “regressive,” or simply “rage bait,” designed to provoke strong reactions online.
However, many others defended the campaign, celebrating its rejection of what they see as overly politicized or “woke” branding. Supporters praised the ad’s nostalgic tone and playfulness, calling it a “culture shift” and sharing comments such as “woke is broke!”
Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas weighed in on the controversy, posting a photo of Sweeney on X (formerly Twitter) and writing, “Wow. Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women. I’m sure that will poll well.”
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American Eagle has not commented on the backlash, nor has Sweeney. In a statement released when the campaign launched, the company described the collaboration as a way to “further elevate its position as the #1 jeans brand for Gen Z,” calling Sweeney’s “girl-next-door charm” and “main character energy” the heart of the campaign.
As part of the promotion, American Eagle also introduced a limited-run “Sydney Jean,” priced at $79.95, featuring a butterfly motif on the back pocket intended to symbolize domestic violence awareness.
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