Sydney Sweeney’s latest American Eagle jeans campaign has ignited a string of controversy across social media, with critics claiming the advertisement contains problematic messaging. The viral video has drawn unexpected political commentary, including Senator Ted Cruz running defense for the A-list actress.
Sydney Sweeney’s video
The Euphoria star recently partnered with American Eagle for a denim collection that quickly became the center of online debate. In the promotional video, Sweeney appears wearing jeans and a denim jacket from her collaboration with the retailer. The controversial moment occurs when the camera shows Sweeney buttoning her jeans while delivering a voiceover, saying, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color.” She then looks directly into the camera, revealing her blue eyes, and adds, “My jeans are blue.”
Social media backlash
The wordplay between “genes” and “jeans” immediately triggered accusations from social media users who interpreted the messaging as having deeper implications. “I thought it was gonna be, like, kinda bad, but wow. That’s gonna be in history books!” commented one TikTok user. Another user was more direct in their criticism, stating, “I will be the friend that’s too woke, but those Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ads are weird. Like, fascist weird. Like Nazi propaganda weird.”
Ted Cruz defends Sydney Sweeney
Senator Cruz quickly jumped to Sweeney’s defense on X, framing the controversy in a different light. “Wow. Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women,” he wrote. “I’m sure that will poll well…” Cruz’s intervention sparked additional debate, with some users supporting his perspective. “They dared to mention ‘gene,’ which is verboten among progressives,” one user commented, while another added, “And I thought they were trying to get the young man vote. They use the worst strategy.”
American Eagle campaign
The controversial clip was part of a larger promotional campaign for American Eagle. In an extended version of the advertisement, Sweeney continues the jeans-genes wordplay. “I’m not here to tell you to buy American Eagle jeans. And I definitely won’t say they’re the most comfortable jeans I’ve ever worn, or that they make your butt look amazing. Why would I need to do that?” Sweeney says in the longer video. The advertisement concludes with text reading, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” while a male narrator repeats the phrase.
American Eagle stock surges
The viral nature of the campaign appears to have benefited American Eagle financially. Following the widespread discussion of Sweeney’s advertisement, the company’s stock price experienced significant movement. American Eagle shares jumped more than 10% during trading before settling at a 4.2% increase by market close. This boost comes as welcome news for the retailer, as the stock had previously declined approximately 35% throughout 2025. The campaign’s ability to drive stock performance has led some analysts to label American Eagle the latest “meme stock,” suggesting that viral social media attention can translate into market results regardless of the nature of that attention.
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Author: Isabella Torregiani
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