Overview

• Dr. Phil condemned comparisons of the ad to eugenics and vowed to buy American Eagle jeans for every woman in his family to show support.
• President Trump praised the campaign after learning of Sweeney’s Republican affiliation, driving American Eagle’s stock up more than 23 percent.
• Analytics firm Social Blade reports a net gain of over 140,000 Instagram followers for American Eagle in the month since the ad’s launch.
• American Eagle has defended its creative choice, reiterating that “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” was solely meant as a product pun.
• Media analysts warn that the controversy has evolved into a self-sustaining culture-war cycle that keeps the debate alive independent of the ad’s original intent.