Controversial Ad Campaign by American Eagle Featuring Sydney Sweeney Fuels Discussion on Racial Bias and Aesthetic Norms
In a move to reinforce its position as a leading jeans brand for Gen Z, American Eagle Outfitters has launched a new advertising campaign featuring actor Sydney Sweeney. The campaign, unveiled for Fall 2025, showcases Sweeney in various settings, wearing slouchy jeans, and features plans for her to appear on 3-D billboards in Times Square and elsewhere, speak to users on Snapchat and Instagram, and an AI-enabled try-on feature.
The campaign, which includes a collaboration piece called "The Sydney Jean" with a butterfly motif, symbolizing domestic violence awareness, has generated a significant response. However, it's the teaser video that has sparked a debate, with Sweeney saying, "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue."
The phrase "good genes" in the teaser video has sinister connotations due to its association with eugenics, a discredited theory about selective breeding for certain traits, and its use by Nazi Germany to carry out Adolf Hitler's plan for an Aryan master race. Despite this, American Eagle has clarified that the campaign was not intentionally controversial nor an intentional eugenics reference.
The teaser video, which appeared on American Eagle's Facebook page and other social media channels, is not part of the official campaign. The official campaign's tagline is "Sydney Sweeney has great genes," which Sweeney crosses out and replaces with "jeans" in one video.
Marketing experts offer mixed opinions on whether the attention surrounding the "good genes" phrase will be good for American Eagle's business. Some believe it is distorting the brand, while others see the buzz as beneficial, even if it's not uniformly positive.
American Eagle has been praised for its diverse marketing in the past, including creating a denim hijab in 2017 and offering its Aerie lingerie brand in a wide range of sizes. The company also has an ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion program primarily geared toward employees and recently named the latest recipients of its scholarship award for employees who are driving anti-racism, equality, and social justice initiatives.
Critics have compared the American Eagle ad to Pepsi's 2017 ad featuring model Kendall Jenner offering a can of soda to a police officer during a protest, which was criticized for trivializing police killings of Black people. However, it's important to note that American Eagle has also planned a limited edition Sydney jean to raise awareness of domestic violence, with sales proceeds going to a nonprofit crisis counseling service.
The advertising industry has seen a shift since President Donald Trump returned to office, with more ads and signs prominently featuring white models and a potential reversal of the diversity that became standard in advertising after the 2020 killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis. This shift has sparked a debate about race, Western beauty standards, and the backlash to "woke" American politics and culture.
Professor Marcus Collins, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, suggested the criticism could have been avoided if the ads showed models of various races making the "genes" pun. As the debate continues, one thing is clear: the advertising industry will continue to push boundaries and spark conversations, for better or for worse.
[1] American Eagle's Denim Ad Campaign with Sydney Sweeney Not Intentionally Controversial or Eugenics Reference
[2] American Eagle's Denim Ad Campaign with Sydney Sweeney: A Playful and Accessible Marketing Effort
[5] No Credible Source Connects American Eagle's Denim Ad Campaign to Eugenics Reference
[3] The Teaser Video of American Eagle's Denim Ad Campaign Triggers Debate with Eugenics Connotations
[4] American Eagle's Diverse Marketing Strategy Praised in the Past with Denim Hijab and Size-Inclusive Aerie Lingerie
[6] Critics Compare American Eagle's Denim Ad Campaign to Pepsi's 2017 Ad, Deeming It Inappropriate
[7] Shifting Diversity Trends in the Advertising Industry Amidst Political Climate
[8] Professor Marcus Collins Suggests Averting Controversy in Ads through Diverse Model Representation
