Sydney Sweeney Fronts Ad Campaign for Jeans—Sparks Debate About Eugenics
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Sydney Sweeney has come under fire for her appearance in a controversial new ad campaign with denim brand American Eagle.
The Euphoria star fronts the label's fall denim collection under the tagline: "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans." The pun has drawn widespread backlash on social media and reignited conversations about racism, eugenics, and the historical exploitation of women in advertising.
The ad features Sweeney, 27, speaking directly to the camera. "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color … my genes are blue," she says, while seductively buttoning up a pair of jeans.
The wordplay between "jeans" and "genes" is presented as a clever twist—but critics argue it is far more insidious. Newsweek reached out to Sydney Sweeney's publicist and the American Eagle press office for comment via email.
Sydney Sweeney crouches in a denim shirt and jeans from the 2025 American Eagle collection.
Sydney Sweeney crouches in a denim shirt and jeans from the 2025 American Eagle collection.
American Eagle Outfitters/American Eagle Outfitters
Advertising expert Robin Landa, a professor at Michael Graves College at Kean University, told Newsweek: "The campaign's pun isn't just tone-deaf—it's historically loaded."
Landa said that the phrase "good genes" was once central to American eugenics ideology, which promoted white genetic superiority and enabled the forced sterilization of marginalized groups.
Sydney Sweeney reclines in an American Eagle denim with the tagline "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans."
Sydney Sweeney reclines in an American Eagle denim with the tagline "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans."
American Eagle Outfitters/American Eagle Outfitters
Landa added that, when major brands use language with such weight, they risk reinforcing harmful ideologies under the guise of clever messaging.
Landa said that careless wordplay in advertising can help normalize exclusionary beliefs with consequences that extend far beyond product sales.
While the campaign ignited outrage across Threads and TikTok, American Eagle's stock has reportedly surged by 4 percent since the ad's release on Wednesday, suggesting a commercial win—even amid cultural controversy.
Reactions on social media were divided. Threads user @goodlifebreeze wrote: "I think the play on 'GREAT JEANS' and 'GREAT GENES' was brilliantly placed. Throwing Sydney in there was good since she's that chick right now. BUT, here's where I step to the side—American History is ugly asf [as f***] … so ugly and deep that Black ppl [people] + and the ppl who 'knows what's up' pick on the micro-aggressions, see the invisible ink, hear the heavy heartbeats + smell the scent of PREJUDICE + RACISM."
Another user, @ephem3ra, said they initially thought the ad was simply sexualizing Sweeney to sell jeans, but changed their mind and noticed the racialized undertones after seeing the full version: "But THIS one? Yeah, I see it."
Writer and TikTok user E.B. Johnson also weighed in, garnering over 100,000 views for their take. In a widely shared video, Johnson noted that the ad seemed to echo a specific line from vintage Calvin Klein commercials: "The secret of life lies hidden in the genetic code."
@therealebjohnson
For me, I question any woman who willingly engages in 'head nods' to nympette and coquette culture. ♬ original sound - E.B. Johnson • Writer
These ads starred actress Brooke Shields, beginning when she was just 14, and became infamous for their sexualization of a minor. Johnson expressed concern over the homage, questioning why adult women today—like Sweeney—are still willing to recreate or reference advertising that originally caused such harm.
Johnson said: "We really have to question ourselves. Why are these women so willing to engage in media and culture that promotes moments like this … for the bag?"
However, not everyone agreed. "This Sydney Sweeney outrage is so stupid. Dear liberal white women, stop making us look bad. It's not a dog whistle. It's just marketing. It's not any different from the soap with her bath water in it," said Threads user @ashbart90.
There has been increased attention to Sweeney's growing association with conservative-leaning symbols in pop culture.
In a recent Newsweek article, the actress was linked to the viral "Hot Conservative Girl" trend, joining others such as internet personality Haliey Welch in being embraced as a kind of Republican cultural icon.
That growing alignment, combined with the subtext of the American Eagle campaign, has only fueled further scrutiny of Sweeney's public image.
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