American Eagle has decided, against all odds and every single think piece, to double down on its Sydney Sweeney “great jeans” ad campaign. If you were hoping the storm of online outrage, political trolling, and meme chaos might nudge the brand into changing tack, no dice: they’re standing firm.
So, here’s how we got to this point. Back on 23 July, American Eagle launched its latest denim collection starring Sweeney — best known from Euphoria — showcasing her in a run of retro ‘70s-inspired denim looks.
The campaign built itself around a pun: Sweeney in the ad mentions that “genes are passed down from parents to offspring”, before quipping, “my jeans are blue”. The tagline set to follow her across socials? “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”
On its face, the campaign was supposed to be breezy, a nod to both denim and (supposedly) Sweeney’s unique style. As part of the launch, American Eagle also announced that all proceeds from “The Sydney Jean” would be donated to Crisis Text Line, a 24/7 mental health support charity. The jeans themselves feature a butterfly motif for domestic violence awareness, something Sweeney has previously said matters deeply to her, per Variety.
But the response turned anything but breezy. In the days after launch, critics online accused American Eagle of promoting coded eugenics messages, with some comparing the campaign’s “genes/jeans” wordplay to “Nazi propaganda”.
The backlash was so quick and viral that even the Trump White House got involved, calling the public outrage “cancel culture run amok”.
Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, went as far as saying it was “dense liberal thinking”.
Even Doja Cat got in on the action and uploaded a parody in an exaggerated “country” accent.
Through all of this, American Eagle’s corporate response hasn’t budged. The brand posted to Instagram and repeated across the media:
“‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
They’ve stuck to that line, insisting it’s all about inclusivity and denim — and that the charity angle speaks for itself. But not everyone is buying their pitch. “It doesn’t matter what your intent was — what matters is the impact. intent ≠ impact,” said one Instagram user.
“Didn’t think the response could be even worse than the ad but it somehow was,” said another.
As of publication, Sweeney hasn’t commented publicly on the backlash.
For now, the ad remains live, the profits still earmarked for mental health support, and the company isn’t showing any signs of apology or pause.
Lead image: American Eagle / Instagram
