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Sydney Sweeney’s new ad campaign with American Eagle saw the retailer add over $300 million to its market cap when the promotion was announced last week. Following that initial excitement, however, the narrative seems to be turning in the opposite direction, with some now accusing the campaign of being a “Nazi dog whistle.”
The tagline that American Eagle has been using is “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” which I, like many reasonable people, took as a play on words about her famously endowed chest, which she’s never been shy about showing off in her art or using to move product. Sweeney has been using her status as a sex symbol to elevate her career — all the power too her.
What are you looking at?😂 pic.twitter.com/lUYrzkbyt3
— Sydney Sweeney (@IamSydSweeney) July 24, 2025
Sydney Sweeney x American Eagle, oh my god. pic.twitter.com/tDkeGT9R7G
— Sydney Sweeney Daily (@sweeneydailyx) July 24, 2025
American Eagle’s “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign accused of being a eugenics dog whistle
This latest campaign with American Eagle, however, seemingly isn’t landing the way the company would have hoped, as certain sections of the internet are taking the ads as a racist dog whistle, particularly focusing on one ad that sees Sweeney detail how “great genes” — eye color, hair color, and personality — are passed down through generations.
@selinatheyapper SYDNEY SWEENEY WHAT IS THIS???! NOT AGAIN….. THIS AMERICAN EAGLE AD IS AWFUL #fyp #sydneysweeney #americaneagle
If you look through the comments on Sweeney’s video announcing the partnership, a ton of the top responses are bashing the actress for the ad campaign.
A similar discourse is unfolding on Twitter with two clear sides being formed: one saying that this is clearly a nod to white supremacy while others are saying it’s simply referencing the fact that Sydney Sweeney is hot.
ohhhh haha like GENES!! i get it! she has good jeans like she has good GENES! hahahaha like in a nazi way!! totally!!!!! https://t.co/kFsRGL1ilv
— (((Ella Yurman))) (@EllaYurman) July 26, 2025
Sydney Sweeney is doing fascist propaganda, and if you like her, you’re a fascist too… is quite possibly the stupidest, most-likely-to-backfire liberal overreach social media pile-on in the history of the internet.
— Robby Soave (@robbysoave) July 26, 2025
“I’m not sure how to say this nicely but if you think a jeans ad with a pun about Sydney Sweeney being pretty is a nazi dog whistle you genuinely need to put the phone down for a while,” one viral tweet read.
“If you’re insisting the Sydney Sweeney ad isn’t a dog whistle you’re either disingenuous or stupid,” a separate viral post argued in the opposite direction.
When announcing the collaboration, American Eagles said Sweeney is one of the most “recognized faces around the world” and will be a “a celebration of what the beloved brand does best: making customers look and feel good.”
“This fall season, American Eagle is celebrating what makes our brand iconic – trendsetting denim that leads, never follows,” said Jennifer Foyle, President and Executive Creative Director – AE & Aerie, in a statement.
“Innovative fits and endless versatility reflect how our community wears their denim: mixed, matched, layered and lived in. With Sydney Sweeney front and center, she brings the allure, and we add the flawless wardrobe for the winning combo of ease, attitude and a little mischief.”
Sweeney will next be seen starring in the film Americana, which releases in theaters on August 15. The following week, her Ron Howard-directed film Eden, which she co-stars in alongside Ana de Armas and Vanessa Kirby, will also be released.