After nearly a week of mounting criticism over its latest denim campaign featuring actor Sydney Sweeney, teen apparel brand American Eagle has finally responded, but the timing and tone of its statement have only added fuel to the fire.
The campaign in question, which debuted last week, stars the Euphoria and White Lotus actor in an all-denim look, coupled with the tagline: “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” The wordplay, an apparent pun on jeans and genes, sparked widespread outrage, with critics accusing the brand of tone-deaf messaging and perpetuating Eurocentric beauty standards. Some even alleged that the ad flirted with eugenic undertones, particularly in a now-deleted teaser video where Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring… My jeans are blue.”
What did American Eagle say?
For days, the company maintained a conspicuous silence as backlash gathered momentum across social media and industry circles. Finally, late on Friday evening, widely seen as a strategic move to dull the news impact heading into the weekend, American Eagle issued a short statement on Instagram:
“’Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. 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.’”
The statement marked the brand’s first official acknowledgement of the controversy. While it sought to reinforce the campaign’s original intent, the delayed response raised eyebrows, with PR analysts noting the classic “Friday news dump” timing as an attempt to soften blowback.
In earlier trade interviews, American Eagle’s Chief Marketing Officer had described the campaign as one that featured “clever, even provocative language,” and was “definitely going to push buttons.” Whether the brand anticipated the extent of the backlash remains unclear.
Meanwhile, Sweeney herself has remained tight-lipped about the campaign, choosing not to address the debate publicly. Her social media feed remains focused on upcoming film releases and personal appearances.
The fake apology row
As if the situation weren’t already charged, a fake apology began circulating online last week, further complicating the narrative. Styled to resemble an official statement from American Eagle, the parody message read:
“We sincerely apologise for featuring Sydney Sweeney in our recent ad. In hindsight, we underestimated the combined impact of her blue eyes, blonde hair and general hotness. Also, we did not realise how big her boobs would be. Our marketing team has been sent to denim sensitivity training. Thank you for your feedback. Pls stop emailing us.”
The fake apology, shared widely across X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit, even carried American Eagle’s logo, prompting some users to question its authenticity. For American Eagle, a pun meant to drive engagement has instead exposed the perils of playing too close to cultural sensitivities, especially in the social media age, where perception travels faster than intention.