Sydney Sweeney recently collaborated with American Eagle on their new fall clothing ad campaign. However, the advertisement has since received much criticism for its tagline: “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” This is because many caught its racial undertone and believed it was tone-deaf.
Sydney Sweeney’s new ad faces backlash for racial undertone
American Eagle recently uploaded a new video on their Instagram page. The footage shows Sydney Sweeney, clad in denim clothing, walking toward the clothing brand’s billboard featuring her and the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes.” She painted all over the billboard and walked away, but not before striking out “Genes” and writing “Jeans” under it.
The advertisement sparked disappointed reactions from fans, who took note of the original words “Great Genes.” As per a report from Salon, the phrase historically meant the celebration of whiteness, thinness, and attractiveness.
“This is what happens when you have no ppl of color in a room,” a fan wrote. They criticized the clothmaker for getting “caught up” with “clever” wordplay and missing what was “blatantly obvious” to people of color. “I’d expect this from Abercrombie… but not yall,” they added.
“Read the room…” one fan commented.
Another shared, “Welp, no longer shopping at AE ever again, and neither will my future children.”
Neither Sydney Sweeney nor American Eagle has addressed the backlash against the ad directly.
Fans can currently purchase Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle collection, also called Syd’s Picks, from the official website. As of writing, several items are available at a discounted price from the original.
As the face of American Eagle’s latest advertisement campaign, the Euphoria actress will be featured on 3D billboards across the United States and on the exterior of Las Vegas’ prominent landmark Sphere. Moreover, users can access a Snapchat lens where Sweeney will directly communicate with them. Furthermore, users can check out “AI-enabled try-on technology so customers too can have great jeans” (via The Hollywood Reporter).
In addition, the Anyone But You star worked with American Eagle on the “Sydney Jean.” This is a limited-run version of the clothing brand’s Dreamy Drape franchise. A butterfly design is present on the Sydney Jean, representing domestic violence awareness. Notably, American Eagle will donate 100 percent of the net proceeds from the jeans to Crisis Text Line, a non-profit that provides free and confidential text-based mental health support and crisis intervention.
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