Sydney Sweeney features in a fresh American Eagle advertisement following backlash over her prior campaign’s alleged eugenics undertones. The actress, celebrated for roles in The White Lotus, Euphoria, and Anyone But You, appears in new visuals wearing a white shirt paired with denim shorts and a white tank top with embroidered jeans. Her blonde hair falls in relaxed waves.
The Controversial Prior Campaign
The Autumn 2025 campaign, now removed from the brand’s social media, showed Sweeney whispering to the camera: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring… My jeans are blue.” A voiceover followed: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
Critics described the ad as tone-deaf and eugenics-adjacent. Some argued it sexualized women while ostensibly supporting domestic violence awareness, a cause Sweeney actively champions. Others dismissed the outcry as excessive, stemming from an overly sensitive online culture.
Eugenics, developed in the late 19th century by Sir Francis Galton, promotes enhancing desirable human traits—often linked to whiteness—to “improve” the population. This ideology historically justified discrimination against minorities and people with disabilities, influencing modern beauty standards despite widespread condemnation today.
Split Reactions on TikTok
TikTok users offered divided views. One influencer stated: “If you’re not media illiterate, you probably think this is harmless. However, this perpetuates a long line of racism and eugenics that has been present in not just America but all over the world. In the extremely conservative climate we’re in today where right-wing, white nationalism and patriotism is rising, this advert is a dog whistle to the racists out there, confirming their way of thinking and way of life is correct.”
Another user drew parallels to vintage eugenics ads: “Through certain types of imagery we can very much tell that this is a eugenics ad, this ad subliminally encourages the reader to reproduce with a certain type of woman. I would even say that Sydney Sweeney’s ad is more direct than these two, the highly sexualised ad to reframe the viewer’s mind of what ideal genes are.”
On the other side, a user countered: “The backlash to Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad campaign is just insane. My God, you can like the ad or not, but there’s nothing racist about it.” Another added: “If Sydney Sweeney was ugly, you’d have no problem with her saying she has good genes—you’d be saying, yes girl!”
Brand’s Stance on the Backlash
Sources close to American Eagle deemed the online reaction absurd. An independent survey indicated 71% of respondents found the ad appealing. The source emphasized: “This is yet another example of how social media is just not reflective of real life. The absurd response from some corners of the internet is absolutely not reflective of how American Eagle’s customers feel.”
They clarified the campaign focused on quality jeans, with proceeds aiding domestic violence prevention: “The bottom line is that this was about creating a great pair of jeans and supporting a very worthy cause through some of the proceeds going to domestic violence prevention. Anything beyond that is noise that is not registering with the average person. Regardless of how people feel about the ad, we hope they can agree we should be doing more to support and empower those who are experiencing domestic violence.” Note: This insider does not represent the company officially.
The controversy highlights ongoing debates over beauty standards in advertising and the risks brands face with potentially insensitive messaging.
