Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle 'Good Jeans' Ad Sparks Debate Online, Netizen Say, 'It's Eugenic..'

Actress Sydney Sweeney is once again back in the headlines, for a controversial ad campaign. A few months ago, she raised eyebrows with her collaboration with the men’s grooming brand Dr. Squatch, where she released a limited-edition soap reportedly infused with her actual bathwater. Now, as the new face of American Eagle, her latest campaign with the slogan ‘Sydney Sweeney has great jeans’, which plays on a pun between ‘jeans’ and ‘genes,’ is sparking debates online. The campaign was aimed to be cheeky and clever, American Eagle’s CMO had said it was ‘meant to push buttons.' It certainly did, but not all the right ones.

Critics call out racial undertones in Sydney Sweeney’s ‘Great Jeans’ message

Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign gained a lot of criticism because people thought the pun in using ‘genes’ and ‘jeans’ was promoting Eugenic beliefs. These beliefs support the idea that genes of a certain community are better than others. This made many criticise the campaign for highlighting race supremacy and inflicting Western beauty standards. Since Sydney is a blonde, blue-eyed white woman, many felt that promoting her for having ‘great genes’ was problematic.

Netizens did not take the ad well either. Many people of colour, especially women, summed up the discomfort they felt with Sydney Sweeny's American Eagle campaign. A user commented, “It is so difficult to grow up as a person of colour, specifically a woman, and view yourself as beautiful in any sense of the word. And then ads like these come up.”

Doja Cat reacted to the Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle Campaign

The criticism for the campaign was not limited to the fans and netizens. Even celebrities and influencers joined in the hate train and accused the campaign for its racial undertone. Pop star and woman of colour herself, Doja Cat, appeared to be taking a dig at the campaign as well. She shared a cryptic but clearly mocking post that fans linked directly to the controversy.

Defenders of Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign said the backlash was overblown

On the other side, some people called the outrage over Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle campaign unnecessary. Conservative commentators, including former Fox News anchor, Megyn Kelly, argued that the campaign only received more attention because of the criticism it faced and that it is ultimately helping Sydney and American Eagle. In her tweet on X (formely twitter), she wrote:

"Leftist meltdown has only given a beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes 1000x more exposure”.

Others slammed the so-called ‘woke outrage,’ claiming that simply complimenting a white woman’s appearance shouldn’t be considered controversial. One user noted, “Can’t even be white anymore! Y’all are mad because she looks good,’’ Another user said, “As a PROUD black man, I see nothing wrong with Sydney Sweeney and American Eagle parading her ‘good genes.’ That doesn’t mean they’re the ONLY good genes.”

Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign is gaining a lot of attention

Regardless of whether netizens like it or not, Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign has definitely been raising eyebrows. It has made both the actor and the brand the talk of the town. The bold and cheeky approach has sparked strong reactions online, and both criticism and support poured in for the brand and the actor. This has eventually helped with keeping the campaign trending. It is being reported that just one day after Sydney was announced as the company’s latest celebrity collaborator, American Eagle’s stock closed more than 4% higher. This shows that the buzz has helped the brand’s business as well.

What are your thoughts about Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle Campaign?

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