Sydney Sweeney
Sydney Sweeney is at the centre of a storm online after her new American Eagle ad campaign drew fire for its focus on her “great jeans”—a play on words that many viewers read as “great genes.”
The campaign, meant to celebrate classic denim, ended up sparking accusations that the brand was flirting with Nazi and eugenics imagery.
The controversy kicked off almost immediately after American Eagle announced their autumn campaign, featuring Sweeney from Euphoria and The White Lotus.
The brand’s messaging, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” was intended as a fun nod to their denim line. But some on social media took the jeans/genes pun as loaded, especially given Sweeney’s blonde hair and blue eyes, and the inclusion of a German shepherd in one ad.
That particular combination set off a wave of critical posts on TikTok and Instagram, with comments accusing American Eagle of promoting Nazi aesthetics. One viral comment summed up the backlash: “Nazis went out of style a little over 60 years ago. SS doesn’t stand for Sydney Sweeney.”
It didn’t help that Sweeney’s character in one video is seen crossing out “genes” and writing “jeans” on a billboard, which only fueled the debate. Some accused the brand of “leaning into eugenics,” and another pointed out, “It’s giving ‘Subtle 1930’s Germany.’”
Despite the uproar, the campaign also has its defenders. Some conservative voices online argued that the outrage is misplaced, with one right-wing commentator calling Sweeney the “end of cancel culture.”
Critics of so-called “woke” advertising have tried to claim Sweeney for their side before, pointing to her SNL appearance as a Hooters waitress and her family’s political leanings—like her mother’s birthday party featuring family members in MAGA hats and “blue lives matter” shirts.
Sweeney herself has mostly stayed out of the fray, saying little about her politics aside from supporting abortion rights and LGBTQI+ equality.
Dr. Amelie Burgess, a marketing expert from the University of Adelaide, doubts the campaign was intentionally provocative. She points out that backlash is always a risk, especially with a younger, diverse audience. While the messaging might have inadvertently touched on themes associated with eugenics, she notes, “that group of people are not dominant in our society.” Still, she adds, “It’s not a smart business move or a good societal move either.”
Meanwhile, all the controversy gave American Eagle’s stock a boost, jumping 10% after the campaign launch. But whether the attention is worth it—or if it will last—is another question entirely.
Burgess points out—if you don’t have enough diversity behind the scenes, you end up with marketing that just misses the mark. It’s not just about the images you use or the words you pick; it’s the whole vibe companies put out there. When stuff goes wrong, a brand without real diversity is usually the last to notice and even slower to fix it.
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