American Eagle Ad Featuring Sidney Sweeney Gets Mixed Reactions

According to a recent YouGov poll, only 12% of Americans found an advertisement for American Eagle featuring HBO star Sidney Sweeney as offensive. This survey suggests that the anger often seen on social media doesn’t fully capture real-world sentiments.

The study, conducted from August 9 to 11 among 1,635 U.S. adults, asked participants to evaluate ads for American Eagle that included the phrase “Sydney Sweeney is great jeans.” Among the responses, 39% characterized the ads as “smart.”

Interestingly, while 40% felt both positively and negatively, only 8% expressed uncertainty regarding the American Eagle advertisements.

Looking at demographics, men tended to perceive the ads as more intelligent than women, although some also labeled them as aggressive. Notably, the ads appealed significantly to Republican respondents, with 57% finding them smart, compared to only 22% of Democrats who agreed.

Age also played a role: 34% of those over 65 viewed the ads as smart, while just 13% considered them offensive. Younger generations responded even more favorably; 45% of respondents aged 18 to 29 found the ads smart, while 12% thought they were offensive.

Opposition on social media, particularly from critics on the left, labeled the ads as “fascist propaganda” and “Nazi propaganda.” In response to the backlash, American Eagle defended its campaign, stressing that the focus has always been on jeans.

The company emphasized in an Instagram statement, “The ‘Great Jeans for Sydney Sweeney’ was about jeans—her jeans, her story. We celebrate everyone wearing AE jeans with confidence.”