Studying Time: 3 minutes
American Eagle shouldn’t be right here to apologize.
On August 1, the corporate issued a press release in response to the most well liked story on the Web:
Sydney Sweeney posing in its denims and presumably making a reference to a set of Nazi beliefs within the course of.
On Friday, the model wrote in a graphic:
Sydney Sweeney Has Nice Denims is and all the time was in regards to the denims. Her denims. Her story. We’ll proceed to have a good time how everybody wears their AE denims with confidence, their means. Nice denims look good on everybody.
For these very late to this viral occasion, Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle marketing campaign initially sparked a social media firestorm days after it launched… resulting from what some perceived as its not-so-hidden messaging.
The marketing campaign options the attractive actress in fall-centric denim, pulled collectively by her stylist Molly Dickson.
One look depicts the sultry star in a contemporary Canadian tuxedo with daring blue denims and an identical jacket… whereas one other consists of super-baggy light-wash denims with a white tee after which an analogous pair however distressed, worn with a white tank.
Sweeney appears to be like plain attractive.
But it surely’s not her look in these commercial that has gotten folks buzzing. And criticizing.
In one of many marketing campaign movies, Sweeney is seen zipping up her denims whereas mendacity down.
“Genes are handed down from dad and mom to offspring, usually figuring out traits like hair shade, persona and even eye shade,” she says because the digicam pans to her face. “My denims are blue.”
Then, a narrator in voiceover intones: “Sydney Sweeney has nice denims.”
You need to look VERY intently to seek out it, however a bunch of critics have claimed that utilizing the phrase “denims” as a play on “genes” hints at eugenics.
And, in keeping with the Nationwide Institute of Well being (NIH), eugenics “is broadly outlined as the usage of selective breeding to enhance the human race.”
Eugenics was a racially biased examine that was adopted with the Nazi occasion and is related to white supremacy.
In one other marketing campaign video, Sweeney recreates Brooke Shields’ controversial Nineteen Eighties Calvin Klein advert whereas pulling her pants up her legs.
Within the footage, she relayed a message about how “the key of life lies within the genetic code,” a nod to Shields’ line, “Genes are elementary in figuring out the traits of a person and passing on these traits to succeeding generations.”
Many social media have been unafraid shared their ideas on the assertion, writing for instance:
“Sydney Sweeney and American Eagle selling eugenics and pushing the aryan race Nazi propaganda was not in my 2025 bingo card.”
One other remarked: “American Eagle must delete these Sydney Sweeney adverts. They’re genuinely scary.”
Regardless of the controversy (or maybe as a result of of it?), American Eagle’s inventory elevated 10 % in only a few days, including greater than $200 million to the group’s worth.
Sweeney has not but commented on the supposed scandal, however beforehand informed Individuals Journal that American Eagle represents “the comfiest denims I’ve ever worn.”
