American Eagle’s new campaign with Sydney Sweeney sparks controversy for its pun on “great genes,” drawing criticism for insensitivity linked to eugenics-era ideals.

American Eagle's (AE) ad campaign, “great jeans,” is facing backlash as it is accused of having a racist overtone. Sydney Sweeney is featured in the advertising campaign, which has the tagline, which indicates that she has great jeans. The phrase highlights Sweeney’s so-called “great genes.” In a widely viewed American Eagle Instagram video — with over 1.1 million views — she stands in front of a sign reading “Sydney Sweeney has great genes,” which she then edits by crossing out “genes” and replacing it with “jeans.”

Another video that also refers to her “genes” sparked criticism from people on sites like TikTok, X, and Threads who claimed that American Eagle was spreading Nazi propaganda, eugenics, and white supremacist ideas. Before the camera moves up to her blue eyes, Sweeney states that genes are passed on from parents to children, frequently defining characteristics like hair color, personality, and even eye color. I have blue jeans.

Sweeney's representative chose not to comment. A request for comment was not answered by AE. As of Monday morning, Sweeney and AE had not publicly responded to the criticism. AE’s stock saw a brief spike last week following the announcement of its collaboration with Sydney Sweeney.

After sharing more than a dozen photos of Sydney Sweeney over the past few days, the brand shifted focus in its latest Sunday social media post by featuring a different model. In the Instagram caption, AE wrote, "Denim on denim on denim… on denim," adding that their jeans are exceptional. Many users quickly labeled the new post "damage control" after noticing that this model seemed to be nonwhite.