Sydney Sweeney’s latest campaign for American Eagle has ignited a firestorm across social media, with fans, cultural critics, and even celebrities weighing in on the controversy. The fall 2025 campaign, titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” was meant to be a playful marketing move but quickly spiraled into one of the year’s most polarizing pop culture debates.
The ad that started it all
The ad features the Euphoria star, 27, delivering a quirky monologue: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My genes are blue.” The commercial ends with a narrator declaring, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
While the pun between “genes” and “jeans” was seemingly harmless, the message drew immediate criticism. Many social media users accused the ad of carrying unsettling undertones. Some interpreted it as a nod to genetic purity, with one viral comment stating, “The ad has a double meaning. She even says that ‘genes are passed down which determine eye color etc.’ It’s right in front of your face girl. Nassy propaganda is favoring blue eyes and blonde hair.”
Others were quick to defend the campaign, dismissing the outrage as overblown. “People are so desperate to complain about anything! Just an ad about jeans,” one user wrote, underscoring how divided the reaction has become.
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Doja Cat’s viral parody
As the controversy gained momentum, rapper Doja Cat stepped into the conversation with a TikTok parody that only fueled the frenzy. In her video, the 29-year-old artist recited Sweeney’s lines while adopting an exaggerated accent reminiscent of an elderly countryman. Fans couldn’t get enough of the mockery, with one writing, “Sydney will never be able to listen to Doja Cat again w/o thinking of this and that’s a true punishment.” Another joked, “Not Sydney Sweeney making Doja come out of hiding.”
Doja’s video, which racked up millions of views, added another layer to the debate. While some viewers saw the parody as lighthearted fun, others argued it highlighted just how bizarre the original ad truly felt.
American Eagle’s response and the cultural fallout
As the backlash intensified, American Eagle quietly removed the controversial ad from its social media platforms. However, the move didn’t stop the conversation—or the campaign’s unexpected success. According to ABC News, the uproar coincided with a reported 10% boost in the brand’s sales, suggesting that controversy may have driven more eyes to the campaign than ever anticipated.
Experts, meanwhile, pointed out that the incident reflects a growing tension between branding, pop culture, and politics. Some cultural commentators linked the outrage to broader debates around identity and representation in advertising. While the ad’s defenders insist it was nothing more than clever wordplay, critics argue that in today’s climate, brands cannot afford to overlook how their messages might be interpreted.
A debate that refuses to die down
Despite American Eagle’s decision to pull the video, the audio from the campaign has been saved and repurposed across TikTok, ensuring that it lives on in meme form. For Sweeney, who has remained silent on the matter, the backlash has only cemented her place at the center of one of 2025’s most talked-about cultural flashpoints.
As one fan aptly summarized the situation: “It’s wild that an ad about jeans has turned into this, but here we are.” Whether the controversy fades or evolves into a cautionary tale for brands remains to be seen, but for now, the internet remains locked in debate.
