Latest news with #StevenCheung
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Cancel culture run amok': White House responds to backlash over Sydney Sweeney jeans ads
It's the controversy that just won't go away, and now the White House is weighing in on the American Eagle jeans advertisement featuring actress Sydney Sweeney. Steven Cheung, longtime adviser for Donald Trump and the White House communications director, wrote on X: 'Cancel culture run amok. This warped, moronic and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024. They're tired of this bullshit.' For context, the tagline of the ad campaign is 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans' and plays on the homonym 'jeans' and 'genes'. One of the clips centres on Sweeney saying: 'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.' This has led many to take issue with the ad, accusing American Eagle of promoting 'white supremacy' and eugenics, with some calling the campaign a 'Nazi' dogwhistle. Check out our explainer on the Sydney Sweeney controversy. Since the ads were released last month, the pushback has been growing in intensity – with some reactions going viral online. The clips have split opinions, with many arguing that in the current political climate, the racial undertones of the campaign are a bad look. One TikTok post by @thealtperspective has been viewed nearly 2 million times and has the text overla:y "literally an ad FULL of racist and fascist dog whistles. 'great jeans,' a pun on great genes, those genes being blue eyed, blonde hair, white skin." However, the American Right has used the controversy to blast the liberal Left and to push back against perceived 'wokeness.' For instance, conservative TV personality Megyn Kelly has also called out the 'lunatics on the Left' for their take-down of the ad. 'She's being called a white supremacist by people who don't like her latest ad, which is for American Eagle,' she said. 'She's advertising jeans, and yet the lunatics on the Left think she's advertising white supremacy. This is obviously a reference to her body and not to her skin colour, but the lunatic left is going to do what the lunatic left is going to do.' Kelly added: 'They're upset because it's about who gets to be the face of America's Best Genes. They think it's no accident that they've chosen a white, thin woman because you're, I guess, not allowed to celebrate those things in any way, shape, or form. But they're completely ignoring the reference to her body, which is the thing she's famous for. It's just absurd.' As expected, the recent post on X by the White House's communications director has only added fuel to the fire. Check out some of the reactions below: Despite the controversy generated by the ads, the clips have been going viral – with the most 'popular' ad garnering more than 80 million views as of 31 July. The ads have also boosted American Eagle's stock by more than 15 per cent. This isn't the first time that Sydney Sweeney has been surrounded by controversy. The Euphoria and White Lotus actress faced criticism earlier this year for the sale of a Dr. Squatch bar of soap that contains her actual bathwater. Many labelled this as being antifeminist. Additionally, in 2022, she was slammed by fans after photos showed guests wearing MAGA-like hats at a 60th birthday party for her mother. Sweeney addressed this in a statement, saying: 'An innocent celebration for my moms milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions.' Still, the internet was far from convinced... Neither Sweeney nor American Eagle has publicly responded to the controversy as of the publication of this article.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
American Eagle responds to ad controversy as Sydney Sweeney's Republican voter registration revealed
The controversy keeps on growing regarding American Eagle's now-viral ad campaign – which declares 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans'. The play on words 'jeans' and 'genes' throughout the ads have led many to criticise the homonym implication, with some going so far as to label the advertisements as 'Nazi' and glorifying white supremacy. One of the campaign's most polarising clips features the 27-year-old actress saying: 'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.' Check out our explainer on the Sydney Sweeney controversy. Some reactions to the controversy have gone viral, while US conservatives have seized on the indignation to blast 'woke' advertising. The White House even got involved, with communications director Steven Cheung writing online: 'Cancel culture run amok. This warped, moronic and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024. They're tired of this bullshit.' Now, the US fashion retailer has finally responded to the backlash surrounding its campaign featuring the Euphoria and White Lotus actress. 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story,' they posted on Instagram. 'We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.' This message marked the first time the retailer responded to days of backlash, and it remains unclear if the company was purposefully courting controversy with the ads. On the same day that American Eagle issued its statement, vice president JD Vance defended the campaign, saying: 'My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi. That appears to be their actual strategy.' He continued: 'I mean, it actually reveals something pretty interesting about the Dems though, which is that you have a normal all-American beautiful girl doing like a normal jeans ad. They're trying to sell jeans to kids in America and they have managed to so unhinge themselves over this thing. And it's like, did you learn nothing from the November 2024 election?' 'I actually thought that one of the lessons they might take is 'we're going to be less crazy.'," added Vance. "And the lesson they have apparently taken is we're going to attack people as Nazis for thinking Sydney Sweeney is beautiful. Great strategy, guys! That's how you're going to win the midterms! Especially [with] young American men. So much of the Democrats is oriented around hostility to basic American life. So you have a pretty girl doing a jeans ad and they can't help but freak out. It reveals a lot more about them than it does us.' Still, the backlash continues... Even those who dismiss the take that the ads promote eugenics are still feeling uncomfortable with the campaign being used to raise awareness for domestic violence. The term 'tone deaf' has been doing the rounds. Sydney Sweeney has yet to address the controversy – something which some of her fans find troubling. Not helping things is the fact that Sweeney's Republican voter registration has been revealed. A viral post on X claimed that the actress was a registered member of the party, something subsequently confirmed by several news outlets, including the Guardian. Indeed, the actress is registered as a Republican voter in Florida. She registered to vote on 14 June 2024 - weeks after Donald Trump was convicted in New York City of criminal falsification of business records and a few months before he won a second US presidency. This has galvanised those who were already slamming Sweeney in 2022 for posting a series of photos from her mother's surprise birthday party, in which guests wore MAGA hats. Faced with growing criticism, Sweeney issued a statement on social media at the time, pleading with the public to 'stop making assumptions'. 'An innocent celebration… has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention,' added Sweeney. Regardless (or most likely because of) the Sweeney campaign controversy, the market value of AEO has increased by $400 million since the 23 July launch. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Don Jr. Gushes About How ‘Hot' His Dad Is in Weird Sydney Sweeney Post
Donald Trump Jr. has weighed in on the Sydney Sweeney jeans drama in typically weird fashion—by sharing an AI-generated image of his 'hot' father in double denim. 'That Hanse…. Um, Donald is so hot right now!!!' he quipped on Instagram, appearing to reference Owen Wilson's supermodel character Hansel McDonald in the Zoolander movies. The post boasts an eye-popping artificial intelligence version of his father staring intensely as he lies across the floor, legs splayed, decked out in denim. It's a clear reference to a controversial ad campaign from the clothing brand American Eagle that has sparked a racism debate. The campaign features actress Sydney Sweeney, 27, showing off a catalog of poses while wearing the brand's denim. The issue, for some, was the choice of wording that accompanied the imagery. 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,' the text reads, apparently a wordplay on the phrase 'good genes.' In response, social media users bashed the brand for promoting eugenics and white supremacy. 'The American Eagles [sic] ad wasn't just a commercial. It was a love letter to white nationalism and eugenic fantasies, and Sydney Sweeney knew it,' activist Zellie Imani wrote on X. That suggestion prompted a MAGA backlash that also saw Sen. Ted Cruz weigh in, basically thirsting over Sweeney. 'Wow. Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women‚' the Texas senator posted on X. President Donald Trump's communications director, Steven Cheung, got in on the act too. 'Cancel culture run amok. This warped, moronic, and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024. They're tired of this bulls--t,' he wrote on X. Cheung shared a screenshot of an MSNBC article titled 'Sydney Sweeney's ad shows an unbridled cultural shift towards whiteness' in which one of the network's producers, Hannah Holland, argues that the ad is 'damaging' and 'dangerous.' American Eagle CEO Jay Schottenstein hails from a family dynasty that has made headlines for its open admiration of Trump. Longtime members at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, the Schottensteins have vacationed in Palm Beach for years and are said to have a personal rapport with the president.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump on Sydney Sweeney controversy: If she's Republican, ‘I think her ad is fantastic'
President Trump on Sunday weighed in on actor Sydney Sweeney and her recent controversial ad campaign with American Eagle. 'You'd be surprised at how many people are Republicans,' the president said after a reporter stated that the 'White Lotus' and 'Euphoria' star is a registered Republican. 'That's what I wouldn't have known, but I'm glad you told me that. If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic,' the president said while en route back to Washington on Sunday evening from Bedminster, N.J. BuzzFeed reported over the weekend that Sweeney has been registered to the Republican Party of Florida since June 2024. The ad featuring Sweeney has caused backlash online, with social media users criticizing what they claim are racist undertones surrounding the campaign's message that Sweeney 'has great jeans,' a riff on the idea of 'good genes.' 'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color,' Sweeney says in one video. 'My jeans are blue.' Vice President Vance mocked critics of the ad in a recent interview, blaming Democrats for those who argue the commercial backs eugenics. 'So you have a pretty girl doing a jeans ad and they can't help but freak out. It reveals a lot more about them than it does us. No question,' Vance said on the 'Ruthless Podcast.' White House communications director Steven Cheung pointed to the backlash as an example of 'cancel culture run amok.' The Hill has reached out to a contact for Sweeney for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Euronews
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Sydney Sweeney polemic fuelled by her Republican voter registration
The controversy keeps on growing regarding American Eagle's now-viral ad campaign – which declares 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans'. The play on words 'jeans' and 'genes' throughout the ads have led many to criticise the homonym implication, with some going so far as to label the advertisements as 'Nazi' and glorifying white supremacy. One of the campaign's most polarising clips features the 27-year-old actress saying: 'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.' Check out our explainer on the Sydney Sweeney controversy. Some reactions to the controversy have gone viral, while US conservatives have seized on the indignation to blast 'woke' advertising. The White House even got involved, with communications director Steven Cheung writing online: 'Cancel culture run amok. This warped, moronic and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024. They're tired of this bullshit.' Now, the US fashion retailer has finally responded to the backlash surrounding its campaign featuring the Euphoria and White Lotus actress. 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story,' they posted on Instagram. 'We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.' This message marked the first time the retailer responded to days of backlash, and it remains unclear if the company was purposefully courting controversy with the ads. Une publication partagée par American Eagle (@americaneagle) On the same day that American Eagle issued its statement, vice president JD Vance defended the campaign, saying: 'My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi. That appears to be their actual strategy.' He continued: 'I mean, it actually reveals something pretty interesting about the Dems though, which is that you have a normal all-American beautiful girl doing like a normal jeans ad. They're trying to sell jeans to kids in America and they have managed to so unhinge themselves over this thing. And it's like, did you learn nothing from the November 2024 election?' 'I actually thought that one of the lessons they might take is 'we're going to be less crazy.'," added Vance. "And the lesson they have apparently taken is we're going to attack people as Nazis for thinking Sydney Sweeney is beautiful. Great strategy, guys! That's how you're going to win the midterms! Especially [with] young American men. So much of the Democrats is oriented around hostility to basic American life. So you have a pretty girl doing a jeans ad and they can't help but freak out. It reveals a lot more about them than it does us.' Still, the backlash continues... Even those who dismiss the take that the ads promote eugenics are still feeling uncomfortable with the campaign being used to raise awareness for domestic violence. The term 'tone deaf' has been doing the rounds. Sydney Sweeney has yet to address the controversy – something which some of her fans find troubling. Not helping things is the fact that Sweeney's Republican voter registration has been revealed. A viral post on X claimed that the actress was a registered member of the party, something subsequently confirmed by several news outlets, including the Guardian. Indeed, the actress is registered as a Republican voter in Florida. She registered to vote on 14 June 2024 - weeks after Donald Trump was convicted in New York City of criminal falsification of business records and a few months before he won a second US presidency. This has galvanised those who were already slamming Sweeney in 2022 for posting a series of photos from her mother's surprise birthday party, in which guests wore MAGA hats. Faced with growing criticism, Sweeney issued a statement on social media at the time, pleading with the public to 'stop making assumptions'. 'An innocent celebration… has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention,' added Sweeney. Regardless (or most likely because of) the Sweeney campaign controversy, the market value of AEO has increased by $400 million since the 23 July launch.
