‘Sydney Sweeney has great jeans’: “Sydney Mocked for Controversial American Eagle Ad

Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle “Jeans” Ad Backfires

What was meant to be a playful denim campaign has now turned into a full-blown PR headache for actress Sydney Sweeney and apparel brand American Eagle. The brand is currently facing heat over a viral promotional video featuring Sweeney that many viewers found tone-deaf, if not outright disturbing — and critics aren’t letting her off the hook.

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The controversy centers around a tagline used in the campaign: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” While clearly intended as a cheeky pun on denim, a teaser video accompanying the campaign took things a step too far for many — and for some, too far to be forgiven.

In the now widely circulated clip, Sweeney says:

“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”

Although the video was reportedly not part of the official American Eagle rollout, the damage was done. Critics on social media quickly pointed out the troubling implications of linking genetic traits with promotional aesthetics, drawing comparisons to white supremacist rhetoric and even Nazi propaganda.

Smart Wordplay or Careless Ignorance?

While American Eagle has publicly defended the actress and the campaign, insisting “it’s about the jeans, nothing more,” the response has failed to satisfy many observers. Some questioned how a celebrity with Sydney Sweeney’s team of publicists and brand handlers could have green-lit content that treads so close to dangerous historical language.

“There’s a difference between edgy marketing and complete ignorance of context,” wrote one media analyst. “At best, this is a tone-deaf script. At worst, it’s a disturbing oversight with global reach.”

Sweeney’s Pattern of PR Missteps?

This isn’t the first time Sydney Sweeney has faced public backlash over what some see as a lack of social awareness. From controversial family event photos to now participating in a tone-deaf ad, critics are beginning to question whether the actress’s team truly understands the moment — or simply leans into calculated controversy for clicks.