Sydney Sweeney Becomes the Face of American Eagle's Advertising Campaign

When you’re one of the brightest actresses of your generation, even your jeans can become the subject of international debate. Especially if you’re Sydney Sweeney.

The star of Euphoria and The White Lotus is back in the spotlight — but this time not because of a red carpet or a shiny new project. Instead, it’s because of… a play on words. No, not on Twitter. In an ad.

27-year-old Sydney is the face of American Eagle’s advertising campaign — and it would all be fine if the creators of the video hadn’t decided to play on the English homophones: jeans and genes. Bold? Yes. Successful? Not quite.

In the video, Sydney smiles as she explains that genes are passed from parents to children, shaping character traits, eye color, and hair color… and ends with the phrase: “My jeans are blue.”

Then the camera focuses on the phrase “Sydney Sweeney has good genes,” where genes is literally replaced with jeans. It could have been a playful pun — if not for the wave of accusations linking the ad to ideas of “racial purity.”

Social media users reacted instantly. Some found the allusion dangerous and accused the ad of Nazi propaganda. Others called it hypersensitivity. The brand is staying silent for now. And Sydney? Not a word. Silence as strategy or wisdom?

The world is fast. A one-minute ad can turn into a scandal within 24 hours. Especially if you’re the face of the campaign. Even more so if you’re a woman in an industry where every word, expression, and even the shade of jeans is read between the lines.

Sydney Sweeney is talented, charismatic, and very “alive.” And even if the ad was controversial — it certainly reminded us how fragile the line between creativity and cringe can be. And above all — that women in advertising shouldn’t be held responsible for everything a creative team edits poorly.