American Eagle states Sydney Sweeney's campaign is just about “jeans”

US fashion retailer American Eagle, known for its denim and casualwear, has been responding to criticism over its recent advertising campaign with actress Sydney Sweeney, which critics state has racist undertones.

In the campaign, the actress, known for her roles in White Lotus and Euphoria, can be seen wearing an American Eagle denim jacket and baggy wide leg jeans, alongside the caption “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” while in another video, Sweeney is pasting the campaign image onto a billboard with “Sydney Sweeney has great genes” caption, before the word ‘genes’ is crossed out and replaced with ‘jeans’.

However, most of the controversy came after the retailer posted a video, which has since been removed from its socials, where Sweeney, who is white with blonde hair and blue eyes, says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”

Critics were quick to highlight the implications of the advert’s wordplay, as by making a pun about denim by changing the word “genes” to “jeans”, it was promoting the language of eugenics, especially with the phrases paired with a white woman referencing her hair and eye colour, a racist belief once popularised by the Nazis.

American Eagle under fire for denim campaign starring Sydney Sweeney

The retailer’s social media has been hit with negative comments with many stating the campaign gives off a white supremacist and Nazi propaganda vibes, with one comment stating it was “giving ‘Subtle 1930’s Germany’”, while others have questioned the “leering” lens of the campaign focusing on Sweeney’s body, especially her breasts and bum.

In response, American Eagle posted a statement to its Instagram account on Friday, August 1, saying the campaign “is and always was about the jeans,” and it will continue to “celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone”.

American Eagle launched the campaign in July on 3D billboards across the US and its social media and said it captured a “cheeky energy” and that Sweeney’s “girl next door charm and main character energy – paired with her ability to not take herself too seriously,” was the hallmark of a “bold, playful campaign”.

On casting Sweeney, Jennifer Foyle, president and executive creative director at AE & Aerie, said: “With Sydney Sweeney front and centre, she brings the allure, and we add the flawless wardrobe for the winning combo of ease, attitude and a little mischief.”