American Eagle is in hot water after releasing a new campaign with Anyone But You and Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney. Since it dropped, Sweeney’s American Eagle ad has faced a lot of backlash for its slogan and campaign video, both of which, fans say, promote eugenics and a racist undertone. Her Campus reached out to American Eagle for comment on Sydney Sweeney’s ad and the public’s response, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
The main slogan for American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney campaign is, “Sydney Sweeney has great genes jeans.” In one of the ad videos, Sweeney says to the camera, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue.” Users online have criticized the ad, claiming American Eagle is using Sweeney — who is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed white woman — as the face of this campaign to promote white supremacy and eugenics. Eugenics is the theory that selective breeding can improve future generations — it has been discredited as present-day racism.
Another promotional video doesn’t focus on the jeans Sweeney is wearing at all. “My body’s composition is determined by my genes,” she says, as the camera pans down from her face to her chest. Sweeney interrupts and says, “Hey, eyes up here” and the camera returns to her face.
Fans say the ad campaign as a whole sexualizes Sweeney by having her pose suggestively. Many have also pointed out that the ad is a reference to an ’80s Calvin Klein campaign featuring Brooke Shields, which has its own controversies.
Other users online have commented on the brand’s decision to cater to the male gaze, considering American Eagle’s target demographic is young women, and Sweeney’s partnership also includes fundraising for domestic violence awareness. The limited-edition Sydney Jean will have a butterfly motif symbolizing the cause, and 100% of the purchase price from each Sydney Jean bought will be donated to the Crisis Text Line, which provides free, 24/7 mental health support.
Interestingly, American Eagle’s stock rose after the ad was released, despite the backlash. Many have left comments under the brand’s Instagram posts of Sweeney questioning the brand’s campaign and pledging to not shop there again. “If your goal was selling women’s jeans to men, great job,” one user wrote. Many others commented, “Never buying AE again.”