Latest news with #bluejeans
Gizmodo
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Despite Online MAGA Freakout About Her Jeans, Sydney Sweeney's New Movie Bombs
A couple of weeks ago, American Eagle launched a new ad campaign for its blue jeans line that featured actress Sydney Sweeney. In one of the ads, Sweeney weirdly broached the topic of genetics (she said, and I quote: 'genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue'), but, for the most part, the ads seems to be about how great Sweeney's posterior looks when she's wearing the company's denim. Not long after the jeans ads aired, the internet collectively lost its mind. One TikToker compared the ad to 'Nazi propaganda' and, soon, NPR had dubbed it the 'ad campaign that launched a thousand critiques.' CNN asked what America had 'learned' from the Sweeney 'situation.' Vox used the episode to wax eloquent about the 'unsettling legacy of the blonde bombshell.' Dr. Phil and Lizzo both got upset—for different reasons—and America's president, in a move that was very on-brand for him, issued a mispelling-strewn statement calling 'Sidney' the 'HOTTEST.' Meanwhile, a number of high-profile MAGA folks (including J.D. Vance, Charlie Kirk, and Ted Cruz) attempted to commandeer the topic, and use it to engineer a backlash to the supposed backlash to Sweeney's ads. Meanwhile, Rolling Stone magazine unveiled a timeline of America's conservatives efforts to 'claim' Sweeney for themselves as a cultural icon. Based on the national conversation we were all just forced to have about Sweeney and her jeans, one would've thought MAGA's collective lust for Sweeney could have easily been translated into hefty box office numbers for her newest movie, Americana. After all, if middle America is now collectively salivating over Sweeney, wouldn't they want to go see her every chance they get? Apparently that's not how things worked out, however. Sweeney's new movie only garnered some $500,000 during its opening weekend, The Hollywood Reporter has noted. Film critics have been lukewarm to positive about the film, with Vulture calling it 'a '90s-style ensemble crime movie that engages in a sly exploration of the iconography and mythology we use to define the country' and noting that the film is not 'particularly political' but that it is 'blessed with a fairly strong cast.' However, Americana's real problem would appear to be less the fact that its lead actress's brand endorsements have stirred up controversy and more about the fact that most people haven't heard of it. I go to the movies a lot, and am generally aware of the upcoming developments at my local cinema, and I can't say that I'd even seen an ad for Americana or heard much about it prior to writing this article. The movie's ad, which seems to offer a run-of-the-mill comedic crime romp, doesn't have much of a partisan bent. The internet is not a real place, but not infrequently, through a kind of alchemical magic, it can produce real-world events. Sometimes the web can stir up so much ideological turmoil that it spills offline and into the real world (just look at January 6th, if you need an example). The problem is that no one really cared that deeply about the American Eagle ad in the first place. A few pissed off leftist people online and a gaggle of MAGA commentators attempted to get everyone to care about it, and the news media carried the story into our collective consciousness, if only to have something somewhat entertaining to write about instead of the incessant horrors visited upon us daily by the Trump administration. For Fox News, it was a way to avoid talking about the incessant horrors visited upon us daily by the Trump administration, in a different way. Still, despite the best efforts of a select few to make the Great Jeans War of 2025 happen, America's heart just wasn't in it. A recent poll from The Economist/YouGov showed only 12 percent of Americans found the ad 'offensive.' We've been through a solid half-decade of having our minds messed with by the Extremely Online, and America may have completely exhausted its moral panics.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sydney Sweeney Flaunts Blue Jeans In New Post Amid Ad Controversy
Sydney Sweeney is back with a denim-filled Instagram update, arriving just weeks after her controversial American Eagle ad divided the internet. The Euphoria star leaned into her signature style, showing fans she hasn't stepped away from blue jeans despite the online chatter. Sydney Sweeney shows off her blue jeans in new Instagram post On Friday, Sydney Sweeney dropped a carousel of photos captioned 'duval diaries.' Sweeney wore oversized blue jeans with a white lace-front crop top while enjoying a night out with friends. The post showed her kicking up a leg in a playful pose, singing karaoke with a friend, and dancing in the crowded venue. Another picture was her holding a tray of drinks as her friends beamed at the camera. Fans flooded the comments, some supporting her while others criticised with puns and more. After all, her return to Instagram is her first denim-clad post since the release of American Eagle's fall campaign, 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.' The American Eagle campaign, launched last month, attempted to play on the pun 'great genes' versus 'great jeans.' In one ad, Sweeney crossed out 'Genes' on a billboard and replaced it with 'Jeans.' Another featured her saying, 'My jeans are blue,' as the camera zoomed in on her blue eyes. But the playful wordplay got massive backlash. Many online called the ads 'tone-deaf,' arguing that the slogan echoed outdated ideas of genetic superiority often tied to race, beauty, and eugenics. Critics pointed out that using a blonde, blue-eyed actress as the face of the campaign only reinforced the uncomfortable undertones. Others, however, defended the brand, praising the campaign for poking fun at 'woke' culture and keeping the focus on denim rather than politics. Despite the backlash, American Eagle saw a surprising spike in its stock, jumping as much as 17% in the days following the campaign's debut (via Northeastern Global News). Analysts attributed the rise to meme stock behavior, with online buzz from platforms like Reddit and Stocktwits fueling the surge rather than traditional retail performance. However, the company reportedly suffered losses following the backlash. Sweeney has yet to comment publicly on the controversy. The post Sydney Sweeney Flaunts Blue Jeans In New Post Amid Ad Controversy appeared first on Mandatory. Solve the daily Crossword
Al Bawaba
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Al Bawaba
Sydney Sweeney embraces denim style amid controversial American Eagle campaign
ALBAWABA - Sydney Sweeney is really into blue jeans right now. The 27-year-old actor shared several Instagram photos of herself hanging out with friends and family on Friday, August 15. She was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. The news comes three weeks after her controversial ad for American Eagle jeans came out. Her friends who went out with her all wore blue or denim clothes for the night of dancing, so it looked like denim was the color of the night. In one picture, she looked like she was singing karaoke with a friend, and in another, she was having drinks with a group of friends. Sweeney labeled the picture as "Duval Diaries." Sweeney thought it was "perfect" when American Eagle asked her to be the face of their new denim ad, which is called "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans." "I like to wear sweats." But I wore American Eagle jeans on a plane yesterday, and I thought, "Oh, this is great." "They're so comfortable," she said, adding that this made her job "perfect." "When they suggested a denim campaign, I was thrilled," she said. "I thought, 'This is it.'" This is Syd. I'll be able to make this happen. "You have no idea." American Eagle Instagram profile American Eagle's social media pages have campaign videos that show Sweeney working on a car while wearing different types of jeans. She also tests for a new part in the campaign and talks to the camera directly about the new collection. Some people didn't like how the word "jeans" was used as a play on "genes," saying it was racist and suggested that some people are genetically better than others. Others didn't like how the campaign catered to men's looks and was based on Brooke Shields' controversial 1980 denim ad. Despite the criticism, American Eagle released a statement on Instagram on Friday, August 1, announcing an increase in its promotional efforts. "'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' has always been about the jeans," the brand said in a picture. "Her pants. Her story. We'll keep celebrating how each person wears their AE jeans in their own unique way, with confidence. "Great jeans make everyone look good."
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
It's Not Just Sydney Sweeney: The US Always Fights About Jeans
The American Eagle Outfitters Inc. Sydney Sweeney 'Good Jeans' controversy happened in late July — a lifetime ago in internet terms — but here we are, halfway through August, and people are still talking about it. One of the latest references happened last Friday, when Dr. Phil, outraged that liberals found fault with the ad, announced plans to buy American Eagle blue jeans for every woman in his family. It's easy to read this episode as yet more evidence of our degraded civic discourse. But what if this is merely the latest front in the decades-long battle over the meaning of blue jeans? They're part of our common culture, yes, but they have a long history of 'triggering' one group or another — the inevitable consequence of the fact that so many groups think that this most ubiquitous and recognizable article of clothing belongs to them. One man's name is inseparable from the birth of blue jeans: Levi Strauss. In 1873, one of his customers — a tailor named Jacob Davis, based in a mining town in Nevada — approached him with a proposition.
The Verge
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Verge
About that weird blue jeans ad.
Posted Jul 30, 2025 at 3:33 PM UTC About that weird blue jeans ad. Actor Sydney Sweeney is currently embroiled in a days-long 'discourse' cycle about a campaign she shot with American Eagle. The ad — and whether it's a eugenics dog whistle — is one thing. But I liked this Atlantic piece that zoomed out and put the outrage and online content cycle into perspective. Chat, is discourse cooked? The Discourse Is Broken [ Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Mia Sato Features Writer, The Verge Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Mia Sato Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Culture Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Entertainment Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Social Media Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tech
