After making headlines earlier this year for launching a soap allegedly infused with her post-bath water, American actress Sydney Sweeney is back in the spotlight, this time for her new campaign with American Eagle, which is facing a mixed reception online.
— Sydney Sweeney Daily (@sweeneydailyx) July 24, 2025
The denim brand has roped in the actress as the face of its Fall 2025 campaign with a cheeky tagline that says, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” The campaign leans heavily on wordplay: ‘jeans’ vs ‘genes.’
In the same campaign, Sweeney narrates, “Genes are passed on from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”
The ad then flashes the tagline, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” doubling down on the wordplay. While cheeky in delivery, this particular line became a lightning rod for criticism online, with many arguing that the emphasis on inherited traits paired with Sweeney’s blue eyes and blonde hair risked reinforcing narrow and outdated ideals of beauty.
Doja Cat and Tesla join the internet in trolling Sweeney’s denim ad
Doja Cat and Tesla join the internet in trolling Sweeney’s denim ad What started as a cheeky campaign has sparked a wave of mockery, with memes, parodies, and even robots piling on.
Doja Cat was among the first to parody Sydney Sweeney’s viral monologue, “Genes are passed down…”—in a TikTok that exaggerated the tone for comic effect. The internet quickly followed, with mixed reactions: some found it nostalgic and tongue-in-cheek, while others called it tone-deaf and reflective of Eurocentric beauty standards.
Tesla also shared a video on its social handle featuring a robot testing denim dye transfer on car seats, captioned, “Our seats robot also has great jeans.”
When asked if it was Sydney Sweeney, the account replied, “No, this is Seatney.” Elon Musk later reposted the video, adding, “Testing rubbing jeans on our seats.”
In a follow-up film, the brand doubled down on the wordplay, this time with Sweeney shown cleaning a billboard where the word 'genes' has been visibly slashed and edited to read 'jeans'. The deliberate cut, front and centre, seemed to acknowledge the online discourse while reinforcing the pun.
Supporters call it clever—a throwback to simpler, sexier ads
At the same time, not everyone is up in arms. Some online commentators argue that the backlash is an overreaction to a harmless pun. Many fans praised the campaign for being minimalist, confident, and refreshingly non-preachy. It’s reminiscent of early 2000s advertising, a time when cheeky, slightly suggestive denim campaigns were the norm.
Some are even calling Sweeney the “next blonde bombshell” or “the new girl-next-door”, suggesting that her image resonates with nostalgic, mainstream Americana.
A butterfly, a backlash, and a missed beat?
As part of the promotion, American Eagle also introduced a limited-edition “Sydney Jean” priced at $79.95, featuring a butterfly embroidery on the back pocket meant to raise awareness for domestic violence, with proceeds going to Crisis Text Line.
From controversy to the stock market
The campaign's impact wasn’t just cultural; it briefly reverberated through Wall Street. Reports suggest that American Eagle’s stock jumped as much as 28% in premarket trading after the ad launched, temporarily adding nearly $200 million to its market value.
Other sources pegged the initial surge between 15 and 18%, reflecting a spike in retail investor enthusiasm following the campaign’s viral breakout.
However, market experts warn that the increase could be more of a meme-stock moment than a reflection of improved business fundamentals.
American Eagle had earlier withdrawn its financial guidance, citing “macro uncertainty,” and was grappling with operating losses and shrinking margins prior to the campaign.
While Sydney Sweeney’s ad undeniably boosted visibility and online chatter, there’s little to indicate it reversed the brand’s sliding revenue or structural challenges.
A pattern of provocation?
This isn’t Sweeney’s first brush with controversy. Just months ago, she launched a novelty soap that claimed to be made using her bathwater, a marketing stunt that drew both mockery and fascination online.
In today’s celebrity economy, being liked isn’t always the goal; staying talked about is. With this campaign, Sweeney seems to understand that better than anyone.
Her growing roster of viral brand moments suggests a pattern: using shock and flirtation to grab attention.
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