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If you've been online these past few days, you've potentially seen a lot of discourse surrounding Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle campaign. So, let's break it down.
Last week, Sydney was revealed as the new face of the brand's jeans campaign. The tagline for the campaign is "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans," which is explicitly a pun on "great genes."
In one ad, the camera focuses in on Sydney's chest as she says, "My body's composition is determined by my genes" — before she directs it back upwards. In another, she says, “Genes are passed down from parent to offspring, often determining traits like eye color, personality, and even hair color. My jeans are blue." Now, neither of these ads are on American Eagle's social media pages, but they have been screen recorded numerous times.
The criticism was swift and multifaceted. For one, some questioned the hypersexualization of Sydney's body, given that the end consumer is likely to be a woman:
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Then there's the "great genes" of it all. Given the current political climate, many expressed concern that the words might act as a "dog whistle," given that there has been a rise in prominent eugenicist thinking in recent years.
Sydney herself sits in a strange position amid this, as images of her body have been co-opted by the anti-woke crowd, though she herself has remained apolitical amid previous controversies. When asked about this form of attention in the past, Sydney said, "There’s not anything I can do...I think it’s important to be aware of everything and then use that information however I may well. But I’m just being me, that’s all.”
As the "genes" conversation went viral, it further sparked its own discourse from people calling the take a stretch:
The ad appears to be an homage to an 1980 Calvin Klein ad, in which as young Brooke Shields says, "The secret of life lies hidden in the genetic code. Genes are fundamental in determining the characteristics of an individual and passing on these characteristics to a succeeding generation." Both ads begin with the actors lying back on a set and putting on a pair of jeans.
Now, Brooke's ads were extremely controversial at the time, given that she was only 15 when the ad was released. In the years since, Brooke has admitted to having been "naive" to the potential sexual connotations of the campaign, specifically a moment where she said, "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” At the same time, Brooke has said that she's still proud of the campaign and called some of the backlash "ridiculous," adding, "The controversy backfired. The campaign was extremely successful."
But perhaps one of the most surprising parts of the Sydney campaign is that it's linked to domestic violence awareness. As a press release for American Eagle notes, "A butterfly motif on the back pocket of the jean represents domestic violence awareness, which Sydney is passionate about. In support of the cause, 100% of the purchase price from 'The Sydney Jean' will be donated to Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit offering free, 24/7, confidential mental health support to anyone in need—just text 741741."
What do you make of this whole thing? LMK in the comments.
BuzzFeed has reached out to American Eagle for comment.
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