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3w ago

American Eagle Maintains ‘Great Jeans’ Campaign as Critics Cite Eugenics Overtones

The retailer refuses to pause the ads, directing proceeds to Crisis Text Line despite claims of coded eugenics messaging.

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Sydney Sweeney attends the "Echo Valley" New York premiere at AMC Lincoln Square 13 on June 04, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
Sydney Sweeney, facing criticism for her American Eagle ad, quietly returned to social media with a flower post.

Overview

  • American Eagle has kept the “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” ads live and declined to apologize, insisting the tagline celebrates denim rather than genetics.
  • The company continues to earmark all proceeds from the limited-edition “Sydney Jean” line, which features a butterfly motif, for the Crisis Text Line mental health charity.
  • White House communications manager Steven Cheung denounced the backlash as “cancel culture run amok,” and Vice President JD Vance mocked Democrats for branding Sweeney admirers as Nazis.
  • Singers Lizzo and Doja Cat issued parody posts on social media that riffed on the campaign’s genes/jeans wordplay, intensifying the cultural divide.
  • Sydney Sweeney has not publicly addressed the controversy but quietly returned to Instagram on August 1 with a floral post and a white heart sticker.