Sydney Sweeney Sparks Controversy as American Eagle’s ‘Genes’ Ad Draws Fire
Sydney Sweeney and American Eagle are under hot water. The denim brand’s latest campaign starring the Euphoria actor sparked online backlash with a controversial tagline. Playing with the homophonous words “jeans” and “genes,” the ads have been accused of promoting eugenics and white supremacy.
The History Behind “Good Genes” and Its Eugenic Ties
On July 23, American Eagle unveiled its Fall 2025 campaign featuring actor Sydney Sweeney. Titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” the campaign is described as cheeky and playful. “Sweeney’s girl next door charm and main character energy – paired with her ability to not take herself too seriously – is the hallmark of this bold, playful campaign,” American Eagle shared in a press release.
In one of the accompanying ads, Sweeney is portrayed in a denim-on-denim look as she boasts about her “great” jeans. Oh, and her genes. “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color,” the actor says. She then adds, “My jeans are blue.”
Sydney Sweeney’s Ad Echoes More Than Just Denim Nostalgia
Online users and even scholars on TikTok were quick to dissect the message in the American Eagle campaign. For one thing, the “good genes” discourse has been historically linked to eugenics, a pseudoscience that spread in the 19th century. The National Genome Research Institute describes eugenics as “an inaccurate theory linked to historical and present-day forms of discrimination, racism, ableism, and colonialism.”
Based on the belief that certain genetic traits were more desirable than others, eugenics was foundational to the spread of social Darwinism. As Facing History and Ourselves explains, social Darwinists considered the elites as the society’s “fittest.” And believed the “social unfit” were unworthy of rights and privileges. They also advocated for laws and policies that would help maintain “racial hygiene.” One of the ways to achieve this so-called hygiene was by separating “races,” ranking them, and reinforcing the idea that pure, superior racial groups existed.
This pseudoscience was at the core of political ideologies and movements such as nazism. Today, the same discourse of “good” and “bad” genes continues to be replicated by radical sectors and politicians.
Sydney Sweeney, Brooke Shields, and the Industry’s Long Memory
The American Eagle ads also drew attention for seemingly referencing one of Brooke Shields’ Calvin Klein campaigns in the 1980s. In the ads, the model also talked about the “genetic code” in reference to jeans.
For context, the same campaign delivered Shields’ infamous line, “You wanna know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” Back in the day, the campaign drew plenty of backlash for the young model who was harassed and villainized. Following a documentary where Shields spoke of the sexualization and abuse she went through as a kid and teenager in the modeling industry, people have now turned to criticize the people behind the campaign for hypersexualizing and failing to protect the then-15-year-old model.
TikTok Isn’t Buying the ‘Cheeky’ Vibe of This Campaign
On TikTok, part of the outrage has been amplified by Sweeney’s previous publicity stunts and commercial activities. Content creators covering politics and social topics have pointed out that the actress has built an image by catering to the male gaze, as well as to sectors promoting whiteness and conservatism.
In the past, the actress has been embroiled in controversy for selling soap containing her bathwater and supposedly being part of a family with far-right political views.
The criticism is also reaching American Eagle, accused of promoting harmful beauty standards and perpetuating the hypersexualization of women.
