The advertising campaign by American Eagle featuring actress Sidney Sweeney has drawn criticism online, with many users perceiving it to have racist overtones.
A significant part of the backlash centers around the campaign’s tagline: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” a play on “Good Genes.”
“Genes are inherited from our parents and influence various traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color,” Sweeney states in one video. “My jeans are blue.”
This campaign, produced in collaboration with Sweeney, aims not only to promote a new line of jeans but also to raise awareness about domestic violence. According to the company, proceeds from each pair sold will be allocated to a crisis intervention text line.
However, critics voice concerns about how the blonde-haired, blue-eyed actress embodies a well-known American brand, particularly in light of the Trump administration’s contentious stance on diversity and immigration.
Sayantani Dasgupta, a lecturer at Columbia University, commented in a TikTok video that the campaign seems steeped in a eugenics message, drawing parallels to remarks made by President Trump about having “good genes” back in 2020.
“It serves as a reflection of our current political climate, reinforcing anti-immigrant sentiments and discriminatory narratives,” she noted, mentioning plans to discuss this in her upcoming course on history and medicine. Her videos have garnered over 3 million views.
In another clip, the connection to genetics is evident as Sweeney, dressed in denim, paints on a mural, stating, “Sydney Sweeney has some amazing genes.”
Interestingly, despite the pushback, American Eagle’s stock has increased by 20% in the past week, with some interpreting it as a meme stock phenomenon.
This campaign also draws parallels to an advertising effort from the 1980s, which featured a similar theme with actress Brooke Shields promoting Calvin Klein.
As of now, American Eagle has not issued any official comments, and Sweeney has yet to publicly respond to the controversy.
