American Eagle Responds to Critics over Sydney Sweeney Ad
UNITED STATES, AUG 4 – The campaign sparked debate over race and beauty standards but boosted American Eagle’s stock by about 20%, adding hundreds of millions in market value in one day.
- On July 23, 2025, American Eagle Outfitters launched its fall denim campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney, sparking debate over race and Western beauty standards.
- Most criticism arose from the 'genes' vs 'jeans' pun, with critics accusing the campaign of echoing eugenics theories and some critics seeing it as a nod to eugenics, critics said.
- On Monday, President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social, `Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the 'HOTTEST' ad out there`, following reports of her GOP registration in Florida.
- In a statement on Friday, American Eagle said the campaign “is and always was about the jeans,” as its stock surged about 20 percent, adding hundreds of millions in market value.
- Advertising strategists say the campaign's success underscores the appeal of straightforward, Americana-inspired marketing that resonates with Gen Z conservatives.
34 Articles
34 Articles


The Left Doesn’t Hate Sydney Sweeney’s Jeans. It Hates Beauty.
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for The Daily Signal. There’s been a recent hysteria over a provocative commercial, a jeans commercial by American Eagle. It portrays the young blond model Sydney Sweeney—she’s also an actress—putting on or taking off a pair of …
It’s not just ‘good genes.’ It’s a dark reminder of history.
On its surface, American Eagle’s ad campaign starring actress Sydney Sweeney repeats a play on words used by other denim brands touting their “good jeans.” But the ad goes beyond the clothing by directly linking a White woman — the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Sweeney — to having “great genes” while seemingly wearing a pair of great jeans. “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and ev…
United States: A commercial for a new pair of jeans has been stirring emotions in the US for a week. Progressive America is seeing a…
Stars Who Weighed in on Sydney Sweeney’s Controversial American Eagle Ad
Gabby Windey, Doja Cat, President Donald Trump and more stars have shared their mixed reactions to Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle ad. After Sweeney posed in the July campaign, which played into the double entendre of the word “genes” and “jeans,” the ad sparked controversy among social media users who believed it promoted eugenics and over-sexualized the actress. In one campaign clip, the cameras zoomed in on Sweeney’s cleavage wh…
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