Sydney Sweeney’s viral online campaign sparks heated debate

Sydney Sweeney’s new campaign for American Eagle has ignited a fierce online debate over its perceived messaging. 

The campaign, titled Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans, features the Euphoria star modeling various denim styles while working on a car, auditioning for a spot in the campaign, and speaking directly to the camera about the new collection.

Some critics claim that the usage of the word “jeans” as a play on “genes” hints at eugenics, a discredited scientific theory that aims to improve the human race through selective breeding. 

Author and scholar Sayantani DasGupta took to TikTok to break down the controversy, claiming that the ad is “imbued with eugenic messaging” and that “a woman of color would not have been hired for this advertisement.” 

Culture advisor Rachel Lowenstein slammed the campaign for catering to the male gaze, saying that brands are “reverting back to the oldest trick in the advertising playbook: sex sells.”

The campaign has also drawn comparisons to Brooke Shields’ controversial Calvin Klein ad from 1980, which featured similar messaging about passing down characteristics from generation to generation. 

Despite the controversy, American Eagle’s stock has increased by 10% in just a few days, adding over $200 million to the company’s value. 

Some fans of the campaign argue that the reaction is overblown and unfounded, with one commenter saying, “It’s literally only a Sydney Sweeney is hot joke, nothing to get mad over.” 

Others claim that the ad is being blown out of proportion, with one user writing, “Some people have too much time on their hands, its jeans commercial.”

American Eagle has not issued an official statement in response to the controversy.