Marketing masterpiece or mistake? Sydney Sweeney’s latest collaboration with retailer American Eagle has been a timely topic within the world of pop culture.
Sweeney, an American actress known for her role in the TV show Euphoria, has partnered with American Eagle jeans. However, the campaign has gained global traction because of its questionable meanings.
The highly debated-over ad begins with a close-up of Sweeney zipping her jeans, then, in a sultry manner, whispering: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My genes (jeans) are blue.”
Some observers claim the ad promotes eugenics, the selection of certain traits over others, proposing that Sweeney’s blue eyes, white skin, and blonde hair are preferable and better functioning.
Others see the ad as overly sexualized and aimed towards the male gaze despite marketing women’s jeans.
Additional speculators disagree with the ad intending to promote eugenics, but do understand how it may be interpreted. Social Science teacher Grace Ingersoll commented, “It’s always important for brands to be sensitive of and understand how they can be perceived, and I understand how those words can be perceived as a form of eugenics.”
Opinions from the opposing side believe that the backlash is forced and overdramatic. University of Waterloo student Bennett Leung said the “controversy was overdone…the ad doesn’t promote eugenics, but instead uses Sydney’s features as a marketing strategy.”
The ad has reached a multitude of people, even receiving comments from President Donald Trump, who posted on social media that Sweeney’s ad is the “HOTTEST” ad out there. After the President’s comment, American Eagle’s stock prices rose 25 percent.
On the same topic of denim collaborations, retailer Gap has partnered with girl group KATSEYE, releasing an ad featuring the members dancing to Kelis’s “Milkshake” while fitted head-to-toe in denim.
KATSEYE is known for being a global group with each member being from a different culture and ethnicity. The group is famous for their viral hits such as “Gnarly” and “Touch.”
Some believe Gap planned the ad after the Sweeney controversy, while others think it was simply a matter of impeccable timing. Nevertheless, viewers have declared a denim war between American Eagle and Gap.
In October, KATSEYE and Gap’s “Better in Denim” ad already has over 38 million views on YouTube. The ad has also gone viral on social media, with users filming themselves doing the dance.
Darwin Hernandez ’26, who has seen the ad around 20 times, believes Gap focused better on actual jeans than American Eagle, expanding on how the ad “shows the girls performing and dancing in the clothes, showing the viewers ‘look what people can do in our jeans’.”
Amidst the denim dilemma, American Eagle has commented that “Sydney Sweeney is worth every single dollar we invested.” Gap has not commented on American Eagle’s campaign, leaving the intentions of both ads in terms of each other solely up to the viewers’ interpretations.
