Sweeney's blue jeans have gone viral for all the wrong reasons. Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle jeans campaign controversy explained

Sweeney's blue jeans have gone viral for all the wrong reasons.

Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle jeans campaign controversy explained

Sweeney's blue jeans have gone viral for all the wrong reasons.

By Mekishana Pierre

on August 4, 2025 12:38PM EDT

Sydney Sweeney for American Eagle. Credit:

Sydney Sweeney's jeans have landed her in hot water.**

The *Anyone But You* star's new campaign for the American Eagle brand has led to viral backlash, and it's not because fans believe the star is being sexually objectified — although there's a bit of that to go around as well.**

The campaign, titled "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," is based on the seemingly harmless play on words for the 27-year-old's "great genes" and has struck a discordant chord with crowds that have accused the brand of glorifying a racial ideal during a fraught political era.

Since the campaign dropped on July 23, conservative public figures such as Megyn Kelly, JD Vance, and even President Donald Trump have voiced their thoughts on the campaign, mocking those against the seemingly innocuous ad and giving their support for Sweeney.

On the other end of the spectrum, content creators flocked to TikTok to share their thoughts on the brand's messaging, calling American Eagle out for having a white, blonde, blue-eyed woman talking about "good genes."**

So what exactly about American Eagle's ads set off the alarms, and why does this tie to Sweeney's previous controversies? Read on to get the whole story.

What does Sydney Sweeney say in her American Eagle ads?

Sydney Sweeney for American Eagle.

American Eagle released several ads for its "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," campaign, all which feature the actress in a pair of blue jeans in various locations doing simple things like looking down into the engine of her Ford Mustang — a very all-american muscle car — before she settles behind the wheel and takes off.

In each ad, Sweeney takes a moment to either wipe her hands on the seat of her jeans or stick her hands into her back pockets, making sure to draw viewers' eyes to her jeans before the campaign title pops up onscreen.

In another ad, Sweeney changes a poster of herself that reads, "Sydney Sweeney has great genes," to have the word "genes" crossed out and replaced with "jeans."

However, the series' most criticized ad is one in which the actress delivers a monologue about her "great genes" rather than her jeans.

In the ad, Sweeney is shown reclining on a couch as she fastens her pants and says quietly, "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My genes are blue." Then a male narrator concludes, "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans."

The ad, along with several other videos, have been removed from the brand's official accounts. But considering it's displayed on a billboard in Times Square, it's hard to ignore.

Why is the ad controversial?

"Sweeney's girl next door charm and main character energy — paired with her ability to not take herself too seriously — is the hallmark of this bold, playful campaign," American Eagle wrote in the press release for the campaign on its website last week.

But onlookers are saying that the ad boasting about Sweeney's "good genes" is anything but playful.

In a video that has racked up over 300,000 likes, user saltlacroix, who says she works in advertising, said the campaign is one of many that fits under the concept of "BEIGE: Boring and Engineered to Identify with Gentrification and Eugenics."

User jessbritvich noted in her video that users "can't keep pretending" that marketing is created in a vacuum and the campaign "doesn't exist without the culture it's selling to." She asserted that American Eagle's campaign seems particularly pointed during a "rise of fascism in America."

Uh, Sydney Sweeney is selling soap with her bathwater in it

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As an example, the TikToker used an ad in which Sweeney, wearing a denim jumpsuit, says, "My body's composition is determined by my genes (jeans)."

"It's more than a cheeky wordplay, it's a dog whistle," jessbritvich said, noting that the ad's implications fall in line with similar comments made by Donald Trump to a nearly all-white crowd in Bemidji, Minn., in 2020. "In this ad... it's saying that Sydney has a great body and therefore great genes, a product of genetic superiority. Specifically saying these white, thin, traditionally feminine bodies are not just aspirational but symbols of morality, tradition, purity."

She added, "It's echoing the language of white purity politics, and purity of blond hair and blue eyes. This language has cultural context... No, I really don't think this is an accident."

Advertising expert Robin Landa, a professor at Michael Graves College at Kean University, echoed similar sentiments while speaking to *Newsweek*, telling the outlet that the campaign "isn't just tone-deaf--it's historically loaded."**

Landa told the outlet that "careless wordplay in advertising can help normalize exclusionary beliefs with consequences that extend far beyond product sales."

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Writer and TikTok user E.B. Johnson also weighed in, noting that the ad seemed to echo a specific line from vintage Calvin Klein commercials: "The secret of life lies hidden in the genetic code."

Johnson continued: "We really have to question ourselves. Why are these women so willing to engage in media and culture that promotes moments like this … for the bag?"

Sydney Sweeney; Doja Cat.

Ethan Miller/Getty; Pascal Le Segretain/Getty for Balmain

Even Doja Cat has gotten in on the discourse — albeit in her own way.

In a TikTok posted on July 29, the rapper recites the *Euphoria* star's controversial ad script word for word, but instead of matching Sweeney's sensual tone from the original ad, Doja says the lines in an exaggerated backwoods accent.

Is Sydney Sweeney a Republican?

After the discourse raised questions of Sweeney's political affiliation, multiple outlets reported over the Aug. 2 weekend that the *Anyone But You* star registered as a Republican in Florida on June 14, 2024, prior to Trump's re-election. ** has confirmed Sweeney's voter registration.

It isn't the first time that Sweeney's political leanings have been under scrutiny: The *Euphoria* star became the subject of online vitriol in 2022 after she shared photos from her mother's 60th birthday party that featured guests in what appeared to be Blue Lives Matter garb and MAGA-themed red hats that read, "Make Sixty Great Again."

At the time, Sweeney attempted to curb the online speculation via her X account.

"You guys this is wild," she wrote to her followers. "An innocent celebration for my moms milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions."

The two-time Emmy nominee expressed frustration about not being understood by her family and friends from her conservative hometown of Spokane County, Wash., while in conversation with *British GQ *later that same year.

"When I go home, my family doesn't understand me or the world I'm in anymore," she said at the time. "But then in this industry, my home and the place that grounds me is so vastly different to how people live there. I'm in this in-between place where I feel like neither side understands me."

In an interview with *Variety* a year later, Sweeney claimed the people in the photos weren't her family members, telling the outlet they were "my mom's friends from L.A."

"People are so fast to build someone up, and then they love tearing them down," she added.

Has American Eagle said anything about the Sydney Sweeney campaign backlash?

On Aug. 1, American Eagle broke its silence with an official statement on Instagram.

"'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans, her story," reads the statement. "We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone."**

The response to AE's statement was as divided as the response to the campaign itself.

"Didn't think the response could be even worse than the ad but it somehow was," one commenter wrote. Another user wrote, "Wow, doubling down. I'll stick to buying second hand AE from now on. C'mon. To say that wasn't a euphemism is crazy."

On the other end of the spectrum, users celebrated the message. "Never bought AE but now I'm a customer," one comment reads, while another says, "Good publicity. I like your brand before this *controversy* but I like you guys even more now!"**

Has Sydney Sweeney said anything about the American Eagle campaign backlash?

Sydney Sweeney on June 10, 2025.

Andreas Rentz/Getty

Sweeney has not formally spoken out about the online criticisms against the campaign.

What political figures have spoken out about Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle campaign?

On July 29, White House communications director Steven Cheung took to social media to defend Sweeney's campaign.

"Cancel culture run amok," Cheung wrote of the negative response to the campaign, which included claims that the brand is glorifying a racial ideal during a fraught political time.

But Cheung took things a step farther, adding, "This warped, moronic, and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024. They're tired of this bulls---."

A day later, conservative TV personality Megyn Kelly also weighed in on the debate, calling out "lunatics on the Left" and deeming their reaction "absurd."**

"She's being called a white supremacist by people who don't like her latest ad," Kelly said on *The Megyn Kelly Show*. "She's advertising jeans, and yet the lunatics on the Left think she's advertising white supremacy. This is obviously a reference to her body and not to her skin color, but the lunatic Left is going to do what the lunatic Left is going to do."

Kelly, who happens to be blonde and blue-eyed, added, "They're upset because it's about who gets to be the face of America's Best Genes. They think it's no accident that they've chosen a white, thin woman because you're, I guess, not allowed to celebrate those things in any way, shape, or form. But they're completely ignoring the reference to her body, which is the thing she's famous for. It's just absurd."

Vice President JD Vance was the next public figure to chime in on the backlash. During the Aug. 1 episode of the *Ruthless *podcast, Vance said he believed the discourse reveals "something pretty interesting" about Democrats.

"I actually thought that one of the lessons [Democrats] might take is we're going to be less crazy," Vance said. "And the lesson they have apparently taken is we're going to attack people as Nazis for thinking Sydney Sweeney is beautiful. Great strategy, guys. That's how you're going to win the midterm, especially young American men."

Vance added, "So much of the Democrats is oriented around hostility to basic American life. So you have a pretty girl doing a jeans ad and they can't help but freak out. It reveals a lot more about them than it does us."

Donald Trump; Sydney Sweeney.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty; Denise Truscello/Getty

President Donald Trump delivered his two cents on the discourse while speaking with reporters in Allentown, Pa., on Aug. 3. In video footage captured by CNN, Trump was asked about Sweeney's campaign after a reporter informed the president that the actress is a registered Republican.

"She's a registered Republican? Oh, now I love her ad!" Trump quipped. "Is that right? Is Sydney Sweeney...? You'd be surprised at how many people are Republicans. That's one I wouldn't have known."

He added, "But I'm glad you told me that. If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic!"

Trump didn't stop there; on Monday he took to Truth Social to heap more praise on the ad campaign.

"Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the 'HOTTEST' ad out there," he wrote in part. "It's for American Eagle, and the jeans are 'flying off the shelves.' Go get 'em Sydney!"

He added, "The tide has seriously turned — Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

The discourse hasn't made the similar waves on cable news or with major Democratic politicians.

According to a study published by Media Matters, the only news broadcast paying much attention to the debate is Fox News.

Media Matters reported that Fox News has spent an hour and 25 minutes covering an American Eagle commercial since Monday, which is significantly more than its cable news counterparts.

EW has reached out to reps for Sweeney for comment.**

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