This weekend, you may have opened social media only to see some confusing discourse: An actress sporting a pair of American Eagle jeans has seemingly set the internet aflame. But why exactly are people of all political backgrounds now arguing about these jeans on TikTok, X, and Instagram? But why has the president commented on the backlash? And what does Taylor Swift have to do with any of this?
We’ve dug into the story to explain the controversy.
Why Sydney Sweeney’s “great jeans” ad is under fire
Last week, Euphoria actress Sydney Sweeney made a splash on social media when her ad campaign with American Eagle went viral. In a video that American Eagle has since deleted, Sweeney describes denim in terms of genetic material.
“Jeans are passed down from parents to offspring,” Sweeney says, making a play on the homophonic relationship between “jeans” and “genes.”
“My jeans are blue,” she continues as the camera spotlights her blue eyes.
The ad then proclaims, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
The problem? Critics are arguing that the ad uses eugenics as subtext. Eugenics is an outdated scientific theory often promoted by white supremacists; the theory claims that humanity would be improved by breeding out “undesirable” physical traits in favor of “desirable” traits like blue eyes and blonde hair.
On the other hand, proponents of the ad are championing Sweeney on social media. Much of this support, however, is also intertwined with criticism of liberal values. Supporters of Sweeney and American Eagle are arguing that the ad is actually under fire because it’s not “woke” enough for the left.
On August 1, American Eagle responded to the controversy with a statement claiming that the ad is just about jeans.
The statement concludes by arguing, “great jeans look good on everyone.”
Why did Trump get involved?
On August 4, Trump took to Truth Social to enter the fray.
“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there. It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are ‘flying off the shelves.’ Go get ‘em Sydney!,” Trump wrote. He compared American Eagle’s campaign to a recent Jaguar ad that was “stupid and seriously WOKE…A TOTAL DISASTER.”
In the same post, Trump lambasted a very different famous, blonde star: Taylor Swift.
“…just look at Woke singer Taylor Swift,” Trump wrote. “Ever since I alerted the world as to what she was by saying on TRUTH that I can’t stand her (HATE!). She was booed out of the Super Bowl and became, NO LONGER HOT.” Swift openly supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
Trump concluded his post by claiming that leftist politics are increasingly unpopular: “Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be.”
