Overview

• American Eagle reiterated on Instagram that “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” referred solely to its denim and not genetic traits.
• Dunkin’ defended its Golden Hour Refresher commercial starring Gavin Casalegno after users criticized its reference to “genetics,” but social media backlash continues.
• Campaign observers accused both brands of echoing eugenic and white beauty ideals by playing on the homophones “jeans” and “genes” and highlighting inherited traits.
• Political and celebrity voices have weighed in: White House Communications Director Steven Cheung denounced liberal objections as cancel culture excess, and singer Lizzo posted an AI-generated image captioned “Mis jeans son negros.”
• A widely circulated video of Sydney Sweeney in tears was proven to be years old and unrelated to the current controversy, underscoring the spread of misleading content.