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Sydney Sweeney is now a big name in Hollywood. Over the past few years, she has slowly worked her way up. She started out with small acting roles. But now, she’s not just acting, she’s also a producer, which means she helps make shows and movies too.
You might know her from shows like Euphoria or her upcoming project, Echo Valley. Besides acting, Sydney has also become popular in the world of advertising. She’s been working with a lot of big brands. For example, she recently did a funny ad for a soap brand called Dr. Squatch. In that ad, she joked around with the idea of “bathwater soap.” It was meant to be silly and playful.
But now, Sydney is in the middle of a controversy. She recently appeared in a new American Eagle campaign. It was supposed to be a stylish, cool denim ad. But instead of getting love, the ad got a lot of criticism online.
People on social media are talking about it, and many of them are upset. Some say the ad didn’t feel right. Others feel like Sydney was oversexualized or that the brand was just using her for attention. Some fans are disappointed because they expected something more genuine or empowering.
So, what exactly went wrong? Why are so many people calling out American Eagle and Sydney’s role in the ad?
What is the Sydney Sweeney American Eagle Jeans commercial about?
Sydney Sweeney shows up in several short videos made by American Eagle. These videos are all part of a new ad campaign.
The message of the whole campaign is based on one funny and playful line:
“Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
This line is a pun, it plays with the word “jeans”, which sounds like “genes”. So it could mean she wears great denim jeans, or that she just has great features. Some people found it funny, while others didn’t like it.
In one of the clips, Sydney walks into a room that looks like a casting audition. She’s acting like she’s trying out for a part.
She smiles and says,
“Hi, I’m Sydney Sweeney, and I’m from Spokane, Washington.” She also says she can work as a “local hire”, which means she wouldn’t need travel or housing help for the job.
In other videos, American Eagle keeps saying their main line over and over again:
“Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
The campaign is meant to be funny and lighthearted, but not everyone sees it that way. Some viewers feel like the brand focused more on Sydney’s body than on the actual denim. That’s part of why people are now talking about it online and sharing their mixed opinions.
Why is the Sydney Sweeney American Eagle Ad causing backlash?
The new American Eagle ad with Sydney Sweeney is getting a lot of criticism online. Many people on social media are not happy about it, and they’re speaking out for a few reasons.
One big issue is the main slogan in the ad:
“Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
At first, it sounds like they’re just talking about the denim. But many people noticed that it also sounds like the word “genes”, like someone has good physical traits or comes from a “perfect” family.
Some viewers say this play on words is problematic. They believe it has a racial undertone, especially because Sydney is a white woman. People are upset that the ad may be sending a message that her “great genes” are something special or ideal, which can feel exclusionary to others, especially people of colour.
Another reason people are upset is that the ad seems to be made to attract the male gaze. In other words, it looks like it was designed to make Sydney look sexy for a male audience. This feels strange to some viewers, since the jeans in the ad are for women, not men. People expected the focus to be more about comfort, style, or how women feel wearing the jeans, not just how they look.
Some people also brought up the fact that Sydney went to Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s fancy wedding in Italy. This made a few fans feel like she’s now too far removed from everyday people to be the face of a brand like American Eagle, which is supposed to be casual and relatable.
On social media, especially Instagram, the comments have been blowing up. A lot of users have shared strong opinions under American Eagle’s recent posts.
One person commented:
“This is what happens when you have no people of colour in the room. They got too caught up in the wordplay and didn’t notice what was wrong with it. I’d expect this from Abercrombie… but not from you guys.”
Another wrote sarcastically:
“Awesome! More over-sexualisation! Really classy, American Eagle!”
And one person even said:
“It’s giving subtle 1930s Germany,” comparing the ad’s message to something much more serious and dark, showing just how offended they were.
Despite all this backlash, American Eagle has not responded. As of now, they haven’t posted any official statement about the situation or the comments.
People are still waiting to see if the brand will say anything or make changes to the campaign.