American Eagle Doubles Down on Sydney Sweeney Ad Despite Backlash Over Racism and Eugenics Claims: “Her Jeans, Her Story”
Sydney Sweeney is everywhere these days, on screens and all over ads. But her latest American Eagle jeans campaign caused 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.
The American Eagle ad showed 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 said 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.
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.
Now after days of silence, American Eagle decided to address the “controversy,” and it’s certainly not what social media users expected. They decided to double down on it.
American Eagle is standing by its new ad campaign with Sydney Sweeney, even after it sparked backlash online and caught the attention of the White House.
On Friday, the retailer posted a statement on Instagram to explain the idea behind the ads.
“‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story,” the company wrote. “We’ll keep celebrating how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, in their own way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
The campaign is believed to have been intended as a tribute to Brooke Shields’ 1980 Calvin Klein ad, which was also controversial for its time.
Social media users mocked and criticized American Eagle’s response, with many pointing out the ad’s awkward wordplay between “jeans” and “genes.” Several joked about the brand implying a link between jeans and traits like eye or hair color, saying it came across as tone-deaf.
Others compared the statement to the cliché “I’m sorry you feel that way” and accused the company of sidestepping the real issue. Some expressed confusion about what “her story” was supposed to mean and questioned if the campaign had any clear purpose.
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