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Sydney Sweeney speaks out amid uproar over American Eagle ‘great genes’ ad controversy
Sydney Sweeney has subtly re-emerged on social media after backlash for her American Eagle campaign, which was criticized for being overly sexualized.
Sydney Sweeney has subtly made a comeback to social media after receiving harsh criticism for her most recent American Eagle commercial campaign.
In July, the 27-year-old Euphoria star was revealed as AE's new face, kicking off the company's fall 2025 campaign that highlighted its denim roots. The advertising campaign, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” soon became the subject of social media criticism.
The ad featured a video that was widely criticized by users, who accused it of being too sexualized and of exploiting the male gaze. The camera pans around Sydney Sweeney's body as she narrates in the contentious commercial.
Sweeney stated, “My genes determine the composition of my body,” while a camera moved along her torso. “Hey, eyes up here.” Some social media users compared the marketing to “Nazi propaganda” because of the wordplay that persisted in other advertising materials, which appeared to be a pun on the word “genes.”
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue,” Sweeney stated in another advertisement for the brand.
“I will be the friend that’s too woke, but those Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ads are weird,” one critic said, adding that “Like, fascist weird. Like Nazi propaganda weird.”
Did Sydney Sweeney just react to the controversy?
Sweeney hasn't publicly addressed the criticism of the campaign, but in the days that followed, she made a discreet comeback to social media.
The Euphoria star added a white heart sticker to a picture of a bouquet of pale pink flowers that she shared on her Instagram Story on Friday, August 1.
It's unknown who sent the flowers or if their purpose was to cheer her up in the face of criticism.
Despite Sweeney's silence, American Eagle released a statement on Friday supporting the campaign. The brand wrote, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans,” on Instagram. “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.”
