Sydney Sweeney’s new campaign draws accusations of ‘eugenics’ messaging

Sydney Sweeney faces backlash over controversial American Eagle campaign

By Web Desk
July 29, 2025
Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad has the internet talking
Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad has the internet talking

Sydney Sweeney has once again stepped into the limelight after criticism of her American Eagle campaign went viral.

The actress, who rose to fame with her groundbreaking role in Euphoria, found herself in hot water after the campaign was deemed problematic for spreading the wrong message about eugenics.

In the video, the 27-year-old star can be seen wiping dirt off a poster of herself wearing denim.

The tagline reads: “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes.”

Critics argued that the slogan American Eagle used to promote its products conveyed a completely different meaning, pointing out that the word “genes” evokes associations with “eugenics,” a term historically tied to selective human breeding, including the promotion of traits such as whiteness and thinning.

Fans took to social media to express their concerns about the slogan, calling out the underlying message behind it.

One fan wrote, “Maybe I'm too f***ing woke, but getting a blue-eyed, blonde, white woman and focusing your campaign around her having perfect genetics feels weird.”

Another chimed in, “I like Sydney Sweeney and American Eagle as much as the next guy, but ‘we must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children’ is a crazy tagline for selling jeans.”

Despite the backlash, the brand has yet to respond to the claims surrounding the problematic slogan.