ESPN analyst left 'mortified' as he piles in on woke backlash to Sydney Sweeney's 'racist' American Eagle ad
Last week, the company rolled out its fall commercial lineup featuring the 27-year-old in various poses and scenarios with the tagline, 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans'.
The obvious reference to her 'genes' didn't sit well with many people on social media, who accused the ads of being a racial dog whistle.
While many continue to debate about the advert online, ESPN analyst David Dennis Jr has weighed in on the matter and didn't pull any punches as he did so.
Taking to social media, Dennis Jr wrote: 'I didn't think anything of the Sydney Sweeney ads.
'But then ACTUAL SCHOLARS ON MESSAGING, EUGENICS AND FASCISM explained what was going on then yes I understood and became pretty mortified because hey sometimes IT'S GOOD TO LISTEN TO EXPERTS'.
The adverts have divided fans, with one critic calling the clip 'one of the loudest and most obvious racialized dog whistles we've seen and heard in a while.'
The phrase 'great genes' is 'historically used to celebrate whiteness, thinness and attractiveness,' which it said made 'this campaign seem to be a tone-deaf marketing move,' a Salon report on the backlash read.
In a sarcastic post, Dennis Jr continued: 'I'm just happy that these AE ads are making it safe for conventionally attractive blue eyed blonde women to be accepted by society again. They're no longer the scourges of society they once were! FINALLY!'
In a series of images, the Spokane, Washington-born beauty - who is set to play boxer Christy Martin in an upcoming biopic already garnering Oscar buzz - is seen modeling a variety of denim-based ensembles.
In an accompanying video, Sydney is seen buttoning up her jeans as she muses: 'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour... my genes are blue'.
Alexandria Hurley, a Las Vegas-based publicist, speculated to DailyMail.com that the idea to stir the pot was not a mistake at all.
American Eagle Chief Marketing Officer Craig Brommers said the campaign is designed to be flashier than competitors' and features Sweeney as one of the most recognizable young stars of the moment
'From a PR perspective, what we're seeing from Sydney Sweeney isn't a 'misstep' or 'Pepsi moment.' It's a calculated brand evolution. The idea that this ad slipped through the cracks underestimates both her and her team,' she explained.
Hurley went on to point out: 'Sydney has flirted with controversy before — from her SNL Hooters skit to her recent Bathwater Bliss collaboration with Dr. Squatch — and rather than walk it back after criticism, she's leaned further in. That's not oversight. That's strategy.'
She also stressed that the 'Great Genes' tagline was 'deliberately' provocative and that the 'racial undertones being called out aren't subtle.'
'Instead of apologizing, she and American Eagle quickly pivoted with a visual 'fix,' having her paint over the billboard. It's a gesture that looks performative at best, especially in the absence of any direct acknowledgement of the criticism,' Hurley stated.
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