American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney Campaign Sparks Culture War
Great jeans, bad vibes?
Sydney Sweeney has great jeans—and according to the internet, maybe some problematic "genes" too. American Eagle’s Fall 2025 campaign dropped with a cheeky pun and a heavy dose of backlash. The denim-focused rollout, titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” was supposed to sell flares and wide legs, not ignite a discourse on eugenics. But with blue eyes, blonde hair, and a script invoking inherited traits, the internet did what it does best—spiraled. Critics called it a “dog whistle,” fans called it clever, and conservatives declared it the death of “woke” marketing. In the middle of it all, Sweeney stayed quiet, and AE doubled down.
A Campaign Meant to Sell Denim, Not DNA
Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign is receiving criticism for a “jeans/genes” pun that some say echoes eugenics and white supremacy rhetoric.
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 29, 2025
Right-wing voices are celebrating the ad as a pushback against “wokeness.” pic.twitter.com/Q6LkOoAqbi
On the surface, this was textbook fashion PR. Sydney Sweeney fronted American Eagle’s new 200+ piece denim push, including her own butterfly-detailed jeans with proceeds going to mental health support. The campaign leaned hard into Gen Z flash—3D billboards, Snapchat lenses, and AI try-ons. Styled by Molly Dickson and plastered across Vegas’s Exosphere, it was big, buzzy, and meant to feel personal. But one video segment—where Sweeney talks about traits passed down from parents while wearing low-rise jeans—sparked accusations that the brand was blurring lines between style and racial ideology. People weren’t just seeing denim anymore—they were seeing echoes of Aryan beauty ideals.
The Fallout: Culture Wars, Clout, and Corporate Shrugs
The controversy split the internet like a bad side seam. Left-leaning critics slammed the ad as “Nazi-coded,” while right-wing pundits crowned it an anti-woke masterpiece. AE responded with a flat “It’s about jeans, not genetics,” and cited polls showing 71% of consumers liked it anyway. Sweeney stayed out of the mess, posting bikini pics and denim fit checks while the culture war boiled around her. Meanwhile, sales soared, stock jumped 10%, and the Sydney Jean sold out in hours. Whether it was a tone-deaf oversight or a viral masterstroke, one thing’s clear—controversy still sells, and American Eagle knows exactly how to wear it.
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