In 2025 American Eagle released a jeans campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney reminiscent of Brooke Shields’ infamous Calvin Klein ads from the 1980s. In this ad, as the camera moves from her legs to her torso to her face, Sweeney zips and buttons her jeans while explaining how hereditary genes work. She notes that genes are passed down from parents to offspring, and that they play a role in determining physical features like hair and eye color. While the camera lingers on her face, Sweeney offers a play on words concluding, “my jeans are blue.” Like the other ads in the campaign, this one ends with a tagline in a male voice over, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” Upon its release, this ad and another in the campaign showing Sweeney wheatpasting a billboard where the word “genes” has been replaced by “jeans,” immediately were the subject of controversy. Social media users called out the ads as tone deaf and claimed they made references to eugenics.

discussion

How does Sydney Sweeney’s explanation of heredity relate to blue jeans?

How does Sweeney’s identity and casting relate to the discussion of genetics and the campaign’s word play? Would the ad work if another person was cast? Why or why not?

Why do you think this ad campaign was controversial? Why did people call it tone deaf? How does it potentially reference eugenics?

Can you think of other celebrity actions or ad campaigns that have been the subject of controversy? What was the outcome?