Overview

• The brand’s latest ad hinges on a pun between “jeans” and “genes,” starring Sydney Sweeney to spotlight its denim line
• Social media critics have accused the campaign of echoing eugenic and white supremacist imagery by featuring a blonde, blue-eyed actress
• American Eagle opted for a visual fix, airing a new clip of Sweeney erasing “genes” from billboards rather than issuing an apology
• Defenders from Trump administration spokesperson Steven Cheung to Megyn Kelly and Italy’s Matteo Salvini have condemned the backlash as cancel culture overreach
• A forthcoming limited-edition denim drop will donate all proceeds to a domestic violence support service