American Eagle Outfitters has finally addressed its controversial and much-discussed ad featuring Sydney Sweeney, a week after its release.
Following days of discourse around the jeans campaign – with several prominent figures either criticizing the ad itself or slamming the critics for being overly sensitive – AE has finally shared its stance in an Instagram post.
On Friday, August 1, AE turned to its social media to share their official statement, noting, "'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story."
The simple post with a text on a blue block added, "We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone."
The statement is a direct clarification on claims that the ad was promoting eugenics due to its wordplay with "genes" and "jeans."
In one of the viral campaign videos, the Euphoria actress donned in a denim outfit could be heard saying, "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye colour."
"My jeans are blue," Sydney noted as she looked flirtatiously in the camera, while a narrator said, "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans," a tagline that opened the gates for the online criticism.
The internet – never the forgiving – has pointed out one thing from the AE's statement: the lack of apologetic tone in the social media post.
As one user penned, "This is a horrible statement on AE's part…fire the whole PR team."
While another post read, "I like how brands expect us to be idiots who don't understand hidden messages."
Meanwhile, the retailer has also been backed by many, as one netizen pointed out, "Good on them, Don't back down. It's a great play in words and if it had been anyone but a white, beautiful woman, the ad would have been celebrated."
Notably, Sydney Sweeney's ad was also supported by the White House and the US Vice President JD Vance, who criticised Democrats for their stance on the ad being pro-Nazi and promoting white supremacy.
