A jeans advertising campaign has drawn strong criticism for its wording in left-liberal circles in the US. Critics claim the campaign plays on “racist undertones”. The company behind it, American Eagle, is fighting back and the stock has risen this week.
Jeans company American Eagle released a new advertising campaign this week featuring actress Sydney Sweeney as the frontwoman.
The actress has also helped design a jeans model called the “Sydney Jean”, where part of the revenue from these jeans, according to the manufacturer, goes to the organization Crisis Text Line – a non-profit organization that offers free mental health support around the clock for issues related to domestic violence.
– Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue, Sweeney reportedly said in a now-removed commercial.
The campaign slogan reads: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”. Woke activists claim the wordplay has “racist undertones” because ‘jeans’ sounds like ‘genes’, which makes the message potentially interpreted as “Sydney Sweeney has great genes”.
From NY POST:
“The ad features Sweeney, 27, clad in a pair of the brand’s jeans and a denim jacket, talking about her jeans/genes.
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color,” she intones in a spot.” pic.twitter.com/1b16nCe5bL— Michael Andrew (@Disciple4Lif) July 28, 2025
American Eagle fights back
After several days of silence, American Eagle responded to the criticism via Instagram on Friday. In a statement, the company emphasized that the campaign was always about clothing:
“‘Sydney Sweeney has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone”.
Despite – or perhaps thanks to – the controversy, the campaign has been an economic success. American Eagle’s stock rose by over 10 percent immediately after the launch on July 23, representing a value increase of approximately 200 million dollars.
According to the company’s marketing director, Craig Brommers, the collaboration with Sweeney is the largest in the brand’s history.