Why Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle Ad Featuring Great Jeans Caused a Stir
Sydney Sweeney showcased her alluring persona in a recent American Eagle campaign featuring her “great jeans,” which led to considerable controversy and backlash on social media.
From criticisms of over-sexualization to allegations of promoting eugenics, read on to discover the various controversies ignited by the campaign:
American Eagle Addresses the Outcry
On August 1, the brand addressed the backlash via a statement released on Instagram.
“‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ was and always will be about the jeans,” the statement asserted. “Her jeans. Her narrative.” The brand further stated, “We will continue to celebrate how everyone confidently wears their AE jeans in their unique style. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Sweeney Dismisses the Controversy
Sweeney made her first public appearance since the campaign launch on August 3, gracing the red carpet at a screening of her upcoming film, Americana. She radiated confidence in a custom Danielle Frankel corset dress topped off with a tulle skirt.
Accusations of Misguided Targeting and Oversexualization
After Sweeney posed for the American Eagle photoshoot on July 23, the images quickly went viral, stirring controversy among those who felt the portrayal was directed at the wrong audience due to its oversexualization of her body.
The video advertisement opens with a close-up of Sweeney’s cleavage. “My body’s composition is determined by my genes,” she said in a sultry tone. “Hey, eyes up here,” she directed at the camera as it shifted focus to her face. A narrator then proclaimed, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
In another ad, she posed over the hood of a car, giving viewers another view of her curves. She then casually walked away from the vehicle, letting her hands glide over her rear as the camera zoomed in.
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Users on social media quickly reacted to the clips, noting that they didn’t even showcase her modeling the jeans. “She knows she’s selling jeans for WOMEN and not men, right??😭” one TikTok user commented on July 26. Others added, “This is just degrading? Omg we are literally going backwards,” and, “I feel uncomfortable and sad.”
According to PitchGrade, American Eagle primarily targets young female consumers aged 15 to 25. “American Eagle is like for pre-teens too what the heck that’s where I went to when I was a kid I’m so confused,” a TikTok user remarked.
In promotional imagery, the Anyone But You actress posed topless while wearing a pair of the brand’s dark denim jeans, covering her chest with a jean jacket and staring into the camera.
She also posed on the floor, raising one leg in the air while wearing a loose pair of pants and a tied crop top.
Sweeney Advocates for Less Sexualization
Sweeney’s campaign comes after she spoke about public perceptions of her body in March 2024 during an interview with Variety.
“I just can’t allow myself to react. It’s hard to put into words — I’m still deciphering it myself,” she explained. “People feel entitled to discuss me however they wish, thinking I’ve given away my autonomy.” The Euphoria star stated, “It’s a strange relationship that people have with me that I have no influence over.”
Sweeney’s American Eagle Campaign Raises Eugenics Concerns
In a different video ad released on July 28, Sweeney and American Eagle sparked a dialogue surrounding eugenics, a widely discredited ideology aimed at enhancing human genetics. Eugenics is an unscientific and racially biased study, historically adopted by the Nazi regime and linked to white supremacy.
“Genes are inherited from parents to children, influencing traits such as hair color, personality, and eye color. My jeans are blue,” Sweeney noted, referring to both her jeans and eye color.
This commentary was deemed “alarming” by some as it seemed to flirt with the notion of “promoting eugenics.”
“American Eagle needs to retract those Sydney Sweeney ads. They are genuinely terrifying,” a fan expressed on social media. Another user noted, “Sydney Sweeney and American Eagle promoting eugenics and pushing Aryan race propaganda wasn’t on my 2025 bingo card,” while a third criticized the brand for “over-sexualizing her and implying Nazi ideologies.”
At the time of this publication, the video ad seems to have been removed from American Eagle’s social media platforms.
Comparison to Brooke Shields’ Infamous Jeans Advertisement
Sweeney and American Eagle drew inspiration from Brooke Shields’ notorious 1980s Calvin Klein advertisement, where she donned jeans while lying on the floor, presenting the message that “the secret of life lies in the genetic code.”
“Genes play a crucial role in defining individual characteristics and passing them to future generations,” Shields proclaimed in the clip. “Occasionally, certain conditions induce structural changes in genes, potentially driving evolution. This can happen through selective mating, gene drift, or even natural selection, which filters out the less adaptable genes,” she added.
“Ultimately, these processes may lead to the emergence of new species—a concept brought to life in Calvin’s tagline about the survival of the fittest,” Shields, now 60, remarked.
The advertisement gained significant attention because she was only 15 years old at the time, compounded by its sexual undertones.
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In 2021, Shields discussed the backlash from the ad in an interview with Vogue.
“I didn’t interpret it as sexual or as an ad about underwear,” Shields reflected. “The shocking part to me was being criticized with assertions that I must have known what was happening. I was just a kid, and sheltered from it all. The assumption was that I was wiser than I truly was,” she explained.
Us Weekly has reached out to American Eagle and Sydney Sweeney’s representatives for comment but has not yet received a response.
