An American Eagle jeans campaign starring actor Sydney Sweeney has gone viral, and not in a good way.
Sweeney is the face of American Eagle’s newest campaign released this week. And some viewers are sounding the alarm, claiming the ad has several problematic subliminal messages, including eugenics and a regressive sexualization of women.
Here’s what to know about Sweeney and why the advertisement has sparked controversy.
What’s in Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad?
In one of several videos driving backlash for the campaign, Sweeney, clad in a denim-on-denim fit, dabbles in some word-play, telling cameras: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color.”
“My jeans are blue,” she continued, with “jeans” doing double duty as the camera panned both across her true blue denim fit and her blue eyes.
Why is Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad controversial?
With the lens lingering on her figure in the several clips posted as part of the campaign, and the apparent sensual tone throughout, consumers were quick to point out what they saw as the regressive nature of the material. A blonde bombshell catering to the male gaze, they argued, was a quintessential symbol of a bygone era.
“How far back do you plan on going? Do you still wanna vote?” one commenter on Instagram asked, while another chided: “You accept these jobs that objectify your body. Fight the patriarchy, don’t join it.”
Even more concerning, critics argued, was the use of Sweeney as the archetype of “good genes.” A conventionally attractive, white, thin, blonde woman with blue eyes being held up as the beauty ideal bordered on eugenic thinking, they asserted, and contributed to the glorification of whiteness.
Comments in one of the campaign’s videos on TikTok include “AE promoting eugenics was not on my bingo card for this year… this is the bad place,” and “Ah yes, good old America Eu-JEAN-ics, I totally forgot that’s what AE stands for!”
The internet discourse developed further as other users online applauded the campaign for countering “wokeness” and embodying an “old school” version of America.
One X user said, “Please … @AEO and @sydney_sweeney DO NOT apologize … You are not only making jeans hot again but you’re ushering in the end of woke-ness and the return of normalcy.”
Another supporter of Sweeney shared on X “Sydney Sweeney embodies old school Americana. What’s not to love? American Eagle got it right.”
USA TODAY, an Enquirer sister publication, has reached out to Sweeney’s rep and American Eagle for comment.
Who is Sydney Sweeney?
Sweeney is an actor who initially rose to fame for her performances in “The Handmaid’s Tale (2017)” and for portraying the promiscuous teenager Cassie Howard on “Euphoria” (2019-present).
The actor’s several nude scenes in HBO’s “Euphoria” sparked some backlash online, prompting conversations about the boundaries of on-screen nudity and the male gaze. Despite this, Sweeney has been vocal about how she has no problems with those kinds of scenes and has full trust in the filmmakers she works with.
Since her breakout role as Cassie, Sweeney has appeared in several other award-winning series and films, including in the first season of “The White Lotus” (2021), the romantic comedy “Anyone But You” (2023) opposite Glen Powell, the superhero film “Madame Web” (2024) and the horror film “Immaculate” (2024).
How old is Sydney Sweeney?
Sweeney was born Sept. 12, 1997, making her 27 years old.
Where is she from?
Sweeney is originally from Spokane, Washington.
She was previously engaged
Sweeney was engaged to Jonathan Davino, who she started dating around 2018, according to People magazine. They got engaged in 2022, but they have since broken up.
Sweeney has multiple projects in development
According to IMDB, Sweeney’s upcoming projects include a new season of “Euphoria,” a new movie with Amanda Seyfried called “The Housemaid,” and a film titled “Christy,” which “tells the story of Christy Martin, the most successful female boxer of the 90s,” per the IMDB description.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who is Sydney Sweeney? What to know about actor at center of American Eagle backlash
Reporting by Grace Tucker and Anna Kaufman, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
