A cheeky denim campaign starring Sydney Sweeney has spiraled into a bizarre controversy.
The 27-year-old actress starred in American Eagle Outfitters’ latest advertisement, part of the company’s most expensive campaign to date.
But netizens felt the DNA puns about her family had gone too far.
American Eagle’s latest campaign with Sydney Sweeney spiraled into a bizarre controversy
“Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” reads the tagline of American Eagle’s campaign.
One of the campaign videos featured the Euphoria star buttoning up her jeans and saying, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color… my genes are blue.”
“My body’s composition is determined by my genes…” she said in another video.
“Hey, eyes up here,” she added, prompting the camera to focus on her face.
Netizens claimed the wordplay on “genes” and “jeans” was problematic, claiming it had the kind of tone used to glorify whiteness, thinness, and other traits touted as superior genes in certain cultures.
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring … my genes are blue,” the actress said in one ad
It’s “modern day N*zi propaganda,” some said about the campaign.
“Anyone else see that (not so) subliminal white supremacy (N*zi) propaganda American Eagle commercial that Sydney Sweeney did? Literally hinting about blue eyes and “good jeans” (genes) it’s concerning. I always knew she was racist,” one claimed.
Some viewers claimed the campaign was celebrating whiteness and even called the actress “racist”
Another wrote, “The Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ad campaign is just modern day N*zi propaganda. Like it’s wild how blatant it is. Things are weird right now, man.”
“She wasn’t kidding when she said she was broke. She will say yes to anything that gets her a check,” one said.
Defenders claimed nobody would have cared if Rihanna or Sofia Vergara made the same puns
Others defended the campaign.
“This is quite a reach. She has great genes because she’s attractive. Not white,” one argued. “If they got Rihanna or Sofia Vergara to say the same thing, no one would care.”
“So Sydney Sweeney is being compared to n*zis now because of a clever ad saying her genes are good like American Eagle jeans? You people are so miserable it’s actually sad,” commented another.
The latest American Eagle campaign led to company shares rising more than 10% before closing up 4.2% on July 24.
The Sydney-starring campaign helped add around $400 million to the value of the company.
The company’s shares rose more than 10% after the campaign was launched
Chief Marketing Officer Craig Brommers said they targeted the back-to-school season, which he referred to as the Super Bowl for jeans sales.
While talking about joining hands with the White Lotus actress, he said, “Sydney has shown that there’s not a red carpet, there’s not a premiere, there’s not a cultural event that she doesn’t stand out at, and we want our jeans to also play that role of being ok to dress down in a casual situation but also dress up on a more social occasion.”
Today, retail brands are struggling to get consumers to spend on apparel and accessories, as consumers are cutting back on non-essential purchases.
Hence, American Eagle’s intention behind launching a campaign was reportedly to help reconnect with shoppers and revive their demand. So, they took a chance with Sydney, the actress of the hour.
Not only did they make her the face of their fall denim campaign, but they also included a limited-edition denim jacket and another item called “The Sydney Jean.”
Chief Marketing Officer Craig Brommers said they targeted the back-to-school season, which he referred to as the Super Bowl for jeans sales
Image credits: americaneagle
“To be able to partner with [Sweeney] on this is saying something, and it’s saying something in what has been a trickier retail environment this year, that American Eagle is still placing big bets,” said Brommers. “We are still the jeans authority, especially for Gen Z.”
Experts noted that celebrities can bring their signature star power to brand campaigns.
“Well-known personalities are always an easier way to tell a story quickly,” said BMO Capital Markets analyst Simeon Siegel. “It is one of the reasons athlete endorsements work so well.”
Earlier this year, Sydney starred in a campaign that sold soap bars made from her bathwater.
She partnered with soap brand Dr. Squatch to create a limited edition of soap bars called “Bathwater Bliss.”
“When your fans start asking for your bathwater, you can either ignore it, or turn it into a bar of Dr. Squatch soap,” the actress said in a press release in May.
The 27-year-old actress sold soap bars made from her bathwater earlier this year
The soap bars were created with exfoliating sand, pine bark extract, and some of Sydney’s real bathwater.
“It’s weird in the best way, and I love that we created something that’s not just unforgettable, it actually smells incredible and delivers like every other Dr. Squatch product I love,” she added. “Hopefully, this helps guys wake up to the realities of conventional personal care products and pushes them towards natural.”
Only 5,000 bars of Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss were reportedly made, leading to Dr Squatch’s website crashing after they went on sale in June.
The soaps were later listed on eBay at prices ranging from $100 (£73) to $2000 (£1478).
Fans had mixed reactions to American Eagle’s latest campaign
