Sydney Sweeney Advertising Campaign Ignite American Eagle Meme Stock
American Eagle outfits have surged in stocks as they unveiled a bold new fall campaign, “Sydney Sweeney is Amazing Jeans.”
Cheddar
This time it’s not Sydney Sweeney’s Feng Shui and it’s not causing any controversy. That’s her jeans.
The 27-year-old “Euphoria” star is featured in “Sydney Sweeney’s Great Jeans” in the new American Eagle denim campaign for fall 2025.
The brand described the campaign as a “return to essential denim dressing,” and Sweeney paired 1970s-style flared jeans and a denim jacket. A good reason for collection services: “Sydney Jean” has a butterfly motif in its back pocket to show the domestic violence awareness that Sydney is passionate about,” the brand said in its July 23rd announcement.
100% of the purchase price from “Sydney Jean goes to the text line of crisis, Confidential mental health support for those in need, 24/7, free nonprofit organization – Text 741741.
The ad elicited a mixed reaction despite its charity link. In one of the campaign videos, as the camera pans up her body, Sweeney reclines the buttons of her jeans, saying, “The genes are passed on from her parents to her offspring, often determining characteristics such as hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue.”
Many people didn’t see any issues with the ads. However, some people said that it was too sexy for the cause of charity. The mass of repulsion also pointed to a more serious undertone. Some said the suggestion of “great genes” in the ad, featuring a blonde, blue-eyed woman, felt like a reference to eugenics.
American Eagle did not immediately return a request for USA’s comment.
Scrutinizing brands from all angles is a reminder that consumers are becoming more and more standard, especially as the public who plugged in in today’s political climate, especially as the people who plugged in are paying close attention.
“We need to be involved and need it more than ever,” he said. And when it comes to launching some brands, scrutiny may be the key, he added.
Jaiana M. Eckhart, a marketing professor at King’s College London, said that posts and comments about the campaign are in the spotlight regardless of the company’s intentions. And she said the campaign was a success. After the launch, the brand’s stocks skyrocketed.
The brand doesn’t control what resonates – we added, Eckhardt.
“Specific interpretations can take on your own life,” she said.
“The words we use are by no means intentional,” argued one Tiktker. “It’s not an accident for the American Eagle to say that Sydney Sweeney has good genes… this blows dog whis at the rise of conservatism in this country.”
The double entender of jeans/genes is not new. One Tiktoker noted that the ad refers to Brookshield’s Calvin Klein campaign in the 1980s, which was hit by backlash for sexualizing minors.
But in 2025, according to Collins, the language takes on an era defined by major brands rolling back diversity and inclusive initiatives.
“This has been quite felt by (corporate) brands these days,” Collins said. Many brands are retreating from the promise of robust diversity that has created countless campaigns since the death of George Floyd in 2020, he said.
Whatever American Eagle intended in the campaign, it’s our perception that matters most, he added.
The backlash also shows businesses that many consumers still certainly value representation, said Einav Rabinovic Fox, a gender professor at Case Western Reserve University. This kind of pressure could work, she said. Think about how shoppers boycotted Target and other big stores earlier this year in response to anti-DEI measures, she said.
“It has power.”
