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Why Is the Sydney Sweeney ‘Great Jeans’ American Eagle Ad Causing a Social Media Firestorm?

August 4, 2025
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Why Is the Sydney Sweeney ‘Great Jeans’ American Eagle Ad Causing a Social Media Firestorm?
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This article was updated on August 4.

If you’ve caught the new Sydney Sweeney “Great Jeans” American Eagle ad, chances are you’ve also caught wind that there’s been some controversy over it. The campaign was meant to be a cheeky play on the word jeans, which is a homophone of the word genes, but has spiraled into an online discussion about beauty standards, white supremacy, and more.

So what’s the deal? Do the ad’s critics have a point? Or is this all a little overblown, as things tend to get on the internet? Join us for a deep dive into the controversy on the latest edition of TL;DR.

Give me the TL;DR.

On July 23, American Eagle launched its new fall campaign with Sweeney as the face, titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” In addition to the images, which were styled by Sweeney’s regular stylist Molly Dickson, the campaign features an ad in which Sweeney defines the scientific word “genes” while pulling on her American Eagle jeans.

“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring,” Sweeney says in the clip, “often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My genes are blue.” Then, a voice-over says the campaign’s tagline, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”

Pretty soon after it was posted online, several social media users on X, TikTok, and elsewhere criticized the ad for seemingly endorsing fat-phobic beauty standards and white supremacy. “If you’re insisting the Sydney Sweeney ad isn’t a dog whistle you’re either disingenuous or stupid,” wrote one person on X.

Wait, I need more. What’s the background here?

In the press release sent by American Eagle, the campaign is described as a fun way to celebrate making people feel and look great in their AE denim. “A truly iconic moment, Sydney brings her signature blend of cultural influence and individuality to the brand for a campaign that is highly editorialized, fresh, creative and a little bit cheeky,” the release states.

It also seems to be inspired by an ad Brooke Shields once made for Calvin Klein. In that commercial, Shields, who was 15 years old at the time, describes the “genetic code,” while also struggling to put on a pair of jeans over her silky pajama bottoms. The Calvin Klein ads have been heavily criticized for the way the underage Shields was sexualized, something she addressed to Vogue in 2021. “I think the assumption was that I was much more savvy than I ever really was. I was a virgin, and I was a virgin forever after that,” she said.

The political and cultural landscape is a lot different in 2025 than it was in 1980. For one thing, Sweeney is often an unwilling lightning rod for discussions about beauty standards and how they intersect with politics. A comedian once opined that Sweeney must have grown up politically conservative because she is blonde with big boobs, for instance. Then, there was the discourse surrounding Sweeney’s Dr. Squatch soap, infused with her own bathwater. Though Sweeney was attempting to take control of the objectification she’s been constantly subjected to throughout her career, it was harpooned by some online as catering to the patriarchy and a backslide for the feminist cause.

Anyway, in this context, the implication that Sweeney—who is blonde-haired and blue-eyed—has both great “jeans” and great “genes” struck some as reminiscent of eugenics.

What are the arguments?

One content creator on TikTok claimed that the Sweeney ad is an example of the BEIGE acronym, which stands for Boring and Engineered to Identify with Gentrification and Eugenics. Others pointed out that the campaign seemed less catered toward actual customers and more toward raising its stock price. On X, a user wrote that Sweeney is “a great example of white supremacy being the only way a lot of people derive self esteem.” Another commented, “That american eagle sydney sweeney campaign would not suck if they added other people to go with the ‘I’ve got good genes/jeans’ play on words instead of just a white blonde blue eyed woman.”

However, plenty of other creators and users think this discourse has gotten way out of hand. Said one creator on TikTok, “Maybe I’m not woke enough but what’s the big deal?” On X, one user agreed, writing, “I really think that the internet is doing too much with the American Eagle Sydney Sweeney jeans/genes campaign. Like it’s not that serious.”

Predictably, the backlash to the ad has been characterized by the right as an overreaction by the “woke mob.” This branding of the backlash as nothing more than left-wing hysteria plays easily into partisan narratives.

“American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney ad triggers cancel culture mob,” reads a headline on Fox News. Several conservative politicians have also weighed in on the backlash to the ad. “Wow. Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women,” Senator Ted Cruz wrote on X. “I’m sure that will poll well.”

A little over a week after the ad was released, several outlets published Sweeney’s alleged voter registration details. According to The Guardian, the actor has been registered as a Republican in the state of Florida since June 2024. This discovery prompted a reaction from President Trump, who told reporters on August 3, “She’s a registered Republican? Oh, now I love her ad!”

“You’d be surprised at how many people are Republicans,” he continued. “That’s what I wouldn’t have known. But I’m glad you told me that. If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic!”

Has Sydney Sweeney or American Eagle responded to the controversy?

Sweeney hasn’t yet commented on the backlash.

On August 1, American Eagle released the following statement: “‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story.”

The statement concludes, “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

Will anyone still care about this in two weeks?

This feels like the kind of controversy designed to die down in a matter of days, though this particular scandal seems to have struck a chord.

The post Why Is the Sydney Sweeney ‘Great Jeans’ American Eagle Ad Causing a Social Media Firestorm? appeared first on Glamour.

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