Overview

• American Eagle rolled out its fall denim campaign on July 23, starring Sydney Sweeney and pledging proceeds from a limited-edition jean to Crisis Text Line
• Critics accused the campaign’s pun on “genes” versus “jeans” of echoing eugenics ideology and reinforcing racial purity ideals
• Chief Marketing Officer Craig Brommers anticipated controversy, calling Sweeney “the biggest get in American Eagle history” and acknowledging the ads would “push buttons”
• Elon Musk posted a video testing jeans on Tesla seats while White House communications director Steven Cheung denounced the backlash as “cancel culture run amok”
• Neither Sydney Sweeney nor American Eagle have issued further statements, leaving PR experts to debate whether the stunt will yield lasting brand gains or reputational risk