The American Eagle Jeans Campaign
In the summer of 2025, Sydney Sweeney, a 27-year-old actress known for her roles in Euphoria and The White Lotus, found herself at the center of two major advertising controversies that blended pop culture, politics, and societal debates. The first, an American Eagle campaign titled “Sydney Sweeney’s Great Jeans,” aimed to promote the brand’s denim line with a playful nod to “jeans” and “genes.” The second, a Dr. Squatch soap campaign earlier in the year, marketed a product purportedly containing Sweeney’s “bathwater,” igniting accusations of antifeminism and exploitation. Together, these campaigns transformed Sweeney into a lightning rod for debates about beauty standards, gender, racial undertones, and the politicization of pop culture in America. This article examines the controversies, their political ramifications, and their place within the evolving role of celebrity-driven advertising.
The American Eagle campaign, launched in late July 2025, featured Sweeney in viral clips that amassed over 80 million views by July 31. The ads showcased her modeling jeans while referencing “genes” as inherited traits, like hair color or personality. However, the slogan “Sydney Sweeney’s Great Jeans” was criticized for evoking eugenics, a discredited and racially charged pseudoscience. Social media platforms like X erupted with accusations of insensitivity, with some users labeling the campaign as promoting “white supremacy” by centering a white actress in a narrative about “great genes.” Academic Robin Landa, in a Newsweek interview, called the wordplay “historically loaded,” fueling the debate.
The Dr. Squatch Soap Controversy
The Dr. Squatch campaign, launched in early 2025, was equally contentious. Marketed as a limited-edition soap containing Sweeney’s “bathwater,” the campaign leaned into provocative humor, referencing internet memes about celebrity bathwater. While intended as a tongue-in-cheek stunt, the ad drew ire from feminist critics who argued it objectified Sweeney and perpetuated harmful stereotypes about women’s bodies as commodities. Posts on X accused the campaign of “antifeminist pandering,” with some calling it a step backward for gender representation in advertising. Sweeney defended the campaign as “playful,” but the backlash underscored her vulnerability to scrutiny as a public figure.
Political Backlash and Polarization
The controversies took a political turn when conservative commentators, including Megyn Kelly, defended Sweeney, dismissing the jeans ad criticism as “woke nonsense” and the soap backlash as “feminist overreach.” Kelly argued that both campaigns were harmless marketing, not ideological statements. White House communications manager Steven Cheung echoed this sentiment, posting on X that the outrage exemplified “cancel culture run amok” and reflected public frustration with progressive sensitivities, tying the issue to the 2024 election’s cultural divides. These responses framed Sweeney as a victim of an overly sensitive left, aligning with a conservative narrative gaining traction in recent years.
The Power of Provocative Advertising
The American Eagle campaign’s viral success, boosting the company’s stock by over 15%, and the Dr. Squatch campaign’s buzz illustrate the power of provocative advertising. Brands increasingly use edgy messaging to cut through digital noise, but risk alienating audiences. As The Guardian noted, these campaigns may signal a shift from the inclusive “woke-vertising” of the early 2020s toward bolder, less politically correct strategies. NPR suggested that such moves reflect cultural fatigue with performative inclusivity, prioritizing attention over universal appeal.
Popular Culture as a Cultural Battleground
Popular culture has long been a battleground for societal values, and Sweeney’s dual controversies exemplify how advertising can ignite debates about race, gender, and ideology. The jeans ad’s perceived racial insensitivity and the soap ad’s gender implications reveal a polarized America, where interpretations of marketing reflect deeper anxieties about identity and representation. Progressives see these campaigns as perpetuating harmful norms, while conservatives view the backlash as stifling creativity. Sweeney, caught in the crossfire, navigates a landscape where every endorsement is politicized.
Lasting Implications
As the controversies fade, they underscore pop culture’s role in amplifying societal fault lines. The jeans ad’s “genes” framing and the soap ad’s “bathwater” gimmick tapped into sensitive cultural nerves, highlighting the challenges of marketing in an era of heightened scrutiny. Sweeney’s experience serves as a case study in the perils of fame, where celebrities are not just entertainers but symbols in America’s ongoing culture wars.