Actress Sydney Sweeney has returned with a new American Eagle campaign after her previous advert sparked furious backlash over alleged ‘eugenics-coded’ messaging
Sydney Sweney
Sydney Sweeney has made a comeback with a fresh American Eagle advert following the intense criticism her 2025 Autumn campaign faced due to its ‘eugenics-coded’ messaging.
In the latest images, the Hollywood actress, renowned for her roles in The White Lotus, Euphoria and Anyone But You, is captured posing in a white shirt and denim shorts, as well as a white tank top and embroidered jeans. Her blonde locks are trimmed and styled into relaxed waves.
Her previous Autumn campaign – which has since been removed from the brand’s social media – showcased Sweeney whispering into the camera: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring… My jeans are blue.” The voiceover then concludes: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
At the time, critics labelled the ad everything from “tone-deaf” to “eugenics-adjacent.” Some argued it sexualised women under the pretence of promoting domestic violence awareness – a cause Sweeney has openly supported.
Others suggested the reaction itself was exaggerated – a manifestation of an overly critical, “triggered” online culture. While some believed the campaign was harmless, many felt it echoed the ideology of eugenics – the notion that the human race could be “improved” by enhancing the presence of traits deemed desirable, traits historically associated with whiteness, reports the Mirror.
Eugenics was conceived in the late 19th century by Sir Francis Galton, and subsequently used to justify discrimination against minority groups and individuals with disabilities. Despite the ideology now being widely denounced, it has played a significant role in shaping societal perceptions of beauty and worth.
However, TikTok users had a more split opinion. One influencer stated: “If you’re not media illiterate, you probably think this is harmless. However, this perpetuates a long line of racism and eugenics that has been present in not just America but all over the world.
“In the extremely conservative climate we’re in today where right-wing, white nationalism and patriotism is rising, this advert is a dog whistle to the racists out there, confirming their way of thinking and way of life is correct.”
Another TikTok user concurred, drawing parallels between old eugenics advertisements and the American Eagle Campaign, stating “Through certain types of imagery we can very much tell that this is a eugenics ad, this ad subliminally encourages the reader to reproduce with a certain type of woman.
“I would even say that Sydney Sweeney’s ad is more direct than these two, the highly sexualised ad to reframe the viewer’s mind of what ideal genes are.”
Conversely, another user argued: “The backlash to Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad campaign is just insane. My God, you can like the ad or not, but there’s nothing racist about it.”
A TikTok user concurred with the previous comment, stating “If Sydney Sweeney was ugly, you’d have no problem with her saying she has good genes – you’d be saying, yes girl!”
The backlash also reignited a broader discussion about beauty standards in advertising and how brands, even inadvertently, risk perpetuating outdated ideals through thoughtless copy and campaign decisions.
Sources close to the company informed TMZ that the online backlash was “absurd.” The insider revealed that, according to their independent survey, many actually liked their advert. TMZ reported that 71% of those polled by AE found the notorious Sydney jean ad to be “appealing.”
In response to the negative feedback to the ad, the source stated: “This is yet another example of how social media is just not reflective of real life. The absurd response from some corners of the internet is absolutely not reflective of how American Eagle’s customers feel.
“The bottom line is that this was about creating a great pair of jeans and supporting a very worthy cause through some of the proceeds going to domestic violence prevention. Anything beyond that is noise that is not registering with the average person.
“Regardless of how people feel about the ad, we hope they can agree we should be doing more to support and empower those who are experiencing domestic violence.”
According to American Eagle, the insider was not a representative for the company.
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