American Eagle's Crystal-Clear Defense Of Controversial Sydney Sweeney Ads Signals A Lot

Experts say that American Eagle's response to the outrage over its campaign featuring the "Euphoria" actor tells us a lot about the current political climate.

American Eagle has responded to the widespread backlash over its ads featuring actor Sydney Sweeney, but noticeably missing from the brand’s statement was an apology or any real acknowledgement of how so many people interpreted the ads.

The company, as well as Sweeney, have come under fire since the release of a new ad campaign that features the “Euphoria” actor saying that genes are “passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color,” and “my jeans are blue.”

Many people believe the wordplay in the campaign, which features the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” promotes the idea that Eurocentric features are more valuable and desirable.

In response, American Eagle released a statement on Friday on Instagram defending its campaign. ”‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story,” the statement read. “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

American Eagle’s posted statement spurred a wide range of reactions in the comment section. Many criticized the brand for ignoring the fact that it had clearly used “jeans” as a double entendre for “genes.”