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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.