Backlash over Sydney Sweeney’s racy new ad campaign

Actress Sydney Sweeney shows off her “great genes” in a sultry new ad campaign - but the ad is being met with a fierce backlash.

Sydney Sweeney is being slammed by fans for allegedly promoting “Nazi propaganda” with her new “Great Jeans” ad for American Eagle Outfitters.

The clothing brand announced last week that the Euphoria star would be spearheading its new campaign under the tagline, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”

In one of the ads, the 27-year-old actress, dressed in full denim, walked toward an American Eagle billboard and painted over it.

The word “Genes” was crossed out with a white line to be corrected to “Jeans.”

Sweeney gets to work on a billboard of herself in one promotional video.

The “genes / jeans” pun of the entire campaign has sparked outrage.

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In another one of the campaign videos, the actress can be seen buttoning and zipping up her jeans while lying down. A voiceover features Sweeney talking about how genes that are passed from parent to offspring often determine traits such as “hair colour, personality and even eye colour.”

Sweeney, who has blue eyes, ended the video by looking at the camera and saying, “My jeans are blue.”

Several TikTok users called out the ad for allegedly being “Nazi propaganda” and a “racialised dog whistle,” arguing that it praised Sweeney’s genetic traits of blond hair and blue eyes.

The ad plays on Sweeney’s blonde, blue-eyed looks to declare she has “great genes.”

One person on social media dubbed the ad campaign “f**ked up.”

“When those traits are consistently uplifted as genetic excellence, we know where this leads,” said one TikTokker.

“This just echoes pseudoscientific language of racial superiority. All throughout history, those traits have been weaponised to uphold a racial hierarchy,” she added.

Several fans agreed with the TikTok user’s sentiments and shared their disdain for the ad in the comments section of American Eagle’s post.

“Who approved this campaign,” wrote one user.

“This is what happens when you have no ppl of colour in a room. Particularly in a time like this. This ad campaign got so caught up in this ‘clever’ play on words and this stunt the ppl in the room missed what was so blatantly obvious to anyone not white,” added another.

“Never shopping at AE again,” declared a third person.

“Jesus Christ – this is such a f**ked up campaign,” commented a fourth person, while another said: “It’s giving ‘Subtle 1930s Germany.’”

Page Six has reached out to American Eagle and a rep for Sweeney for comment.

This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission.

Originally published as Backlash over Sydney Sweeney’s racy new ad campaign