American Eagle x Sydney Sweeney: When “Great Jeans” Turns Controversial

Siew Hui Ling (Germaine)
Sep 29
4 min read

In the age of Jeans marketing, American Eagle didn't sit in the same table as Gap. Our Beauty & Style writer, Germaine, tells us why.

When American Eagle handpicked Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney for its latest denim campaign, the brand might have expected the internet to swoon over its nostalgic Americana aesthetic. After all, the imagery tied perfectly to her established persona: the car-loving actress in her Ford Mustang, playful banter with the camera, and denim front and centre. Yet within hours of launch, the campaign wasn’t just trending—it was burning.

The reason? A four-word slogan that seemed harmless on paper but set off a cultural firestorm: “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”

The Campaign and Its Comments

The campaign leaned heavily on wordplay, riffing on “jeans” versus “genes.” One ad from the autumn rollout showed Sweeney leaning over the engine of her Ford Mustang, slamming the hood shut and wiping her hands on the back of her jeans. A second began with Sweeney speaking about her “jeans” as the camera slowly panned down to her cleavage, before she laughed and quipped, “Hey, eyes up here!”

But that was merely the first flame. In the second ad, we see Sweeney reclining on a couch, squirming as she fastens her jeans, murmuring: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye colour. My genes are blue.” Then, a male narrator delivers the punchline: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”

What may have been intended as playful provocation was quickly interpreted otherwise. On TikTok and X, videos dissecting the ads racked up hundreds of thousands of views. Many accused the brand of pushing a “eugenics dog whistle” by spotlighting a white, blue-eyed actress while talking about “great genes”. Others saw it as yet another campaign built around male-gaze and reducing a female celebrity to sexualised tropes.

In short, the pun did not feel playful, but it came across more like an outdated ad cliché.

Corporate Silence and Selective Response

As criticism mounted, American Eagle initially removed some of the videos but stayed mostly quiet. Days later, the company issued a short Instagram statement:

“The campaign 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.”

It was a boilerplate defense, framing the controversy as a misunderstanding rather than addressing the deeper concerns. But by that point, the debate had taken on a life of its own.

After The Outrage... Comes the Profit

Paradoxically, sales surged. American Eagle’s stock rose by 10% after the campaign launch, adding around $200 million in market value. Eventually, the momentum grew when the U.S. President Donald Trump praised the ads on Truth Social:

“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there. It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are ‘flying off the shelves.’ Go get ’em Sydney!”

The endorsement only intensified the polarisation, turning a jeans ad into political fodder and reinforcing the idea that in today’s culture wars, controversy itself can become a form of marketing currency.

The Fine Line of Fashion Marketing

The controversy raises a key question: how did this slogan make it past so many approval layers? Was it a careless oversight, or a calculated gamble that any publicity would boost sales?

For decades, fashion ads used sexual innuendo, wordplay, and narrow beauty ideals to grab attention. However, in the big 2025, audiences could see through and decode campaigns in the blink of an eye. Old tricks become riskier rather than clever.

Compare this to GAP’s recent Better-in-Denim campaign featuring Katseye, a new global girl group with members from India, South Korea, the Philippines, Switzerland, and the U.S. Instead of leaning on innuendo, GAP built its ad around diversity, individuality, and joy. Choreographed dances set to Kelis’ Milkshake… it is practically tailor-made for TikTok. “Damn right, it’s better than yours,” feels almost like a subtle dig at American Eagle’s mistake. Playful, and smart.

GAP offered a forward-facing energy — showing how denim can be comfortable, modern, flexible, and global. In a market where consumers expect brands to reflect cultural awareness, AE’s risk looked careless, while GAP’s strategy looked intentional.

Question of The Day: Failure or Success?

So, was American Eagle’s campaign a failure or a success? On one hand, it drew widespread condemnation, raising uncomfortable questions about representation, the male gaze, and corporate responsibility. On the other, it boosted sales, earned global attention, and thrust American Eagle back into cultural conversation after a shaky financial year.

But the bigger lesson is clear: in today’s media ecosystem, brands don’t get to decide how their message is received. Audiences do. And when the line between cheeky humour and harmful implication is this thin, brands have to ask themselves — Are the clicks worth it?