Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans & a Sense for Business as Stunning Ads Rake in Millions Despite Online Hate
Sydney Sweeney is everywhere these days, on screens and all over ads. But her latest American Eagle jeans campaign is causing quite a stir online. Some people say the ad misses the mark and even feels tone-deaf. Others think brands are using her image too much, and the style feels old-fashioned and needlessly provocative.
Earlier this year, Sweeney made headlines with a soap ad for Dr. Squatch, where she reportedly promoted soap made with her own bathwater.
That product sold out super fast. Then she did a flirty shoe ad for HeyDude, wearing a brown swimsuit with a deep neckline. Now, her new denim ad, called “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” is getting mixed reactions for different reasons.
The American Eagle ad shows Sweeney lying on a couch, trying to button her jeans. She says, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring… My genes are blue.” Then a male voice says, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” But many people online don’t like the ad. Some say using a blonde, blue-eyed woman to talk about “great genes” sounds like it’s promoting old, even eugenic ideas about beauty, as noted by TikTok users.
Sydney Sweeney x American Eagle, oh my god. pic.twitter.com/tDkeGT9R7G
— Sydney Sweeney Daily (@sweeneydailyx) July 24, 2025
American Eagle says the “Sydney Jean” campaign is meant to support good causes like mental health and domestic violence awareness through the Crisis Text Line. While that sounds great, many people think the ad’s sexualized shots of Sweeney don’t fit well with the serious message.
Some conservative voices even praised the ad as an “anti-woke” move, according to Fox News. This just made the critics even more certain that the campaign was a bad idea. Neither Sydney Sweeney nor American Eagle have directly responded to all the backlash yet.
Despite all the debate, Sydney Sweeney is turning into a serious money-maker for brands. Her ads are bringing in huge cash and attention. Just one day after the jeans campaign launched, American Eagle’s stock jumped 17%, adding about $400 million to its value, according to Quartz.
A single Syndey Sweeney ad campaign just created $416,449,000 in value for American Eagle in after hours trading. $AEO pic.twitter.com/sERXWz2qPp
— Daniel Foch (@daniel_foch) July 24, 2025
Sydney has been involved in many successful campaigns, from soap to shoes to jeans, and each one gets people talking and buying. Whether it’s bathwater, boots, or denim, the “Sydney Sweeney Effect” is clearly working, and making lots of money.
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!