American Eagle trinkets said their campaign “has always been about jeans and always been about.”
The retailer has generated extensive scrutiny this week after launching a denim-centric fall campaign featuring Sweeney. The catchphrase states, “Sidney Sweeney has some amazing jeans.”
Many online accused American Eagles of promoting eugenics, “white hegemony” and “Nazi propaganda,” implying that the company is promoting white blonde women’s genes with play in words.
“The genes are passed on from parents to offspring, often determining characteristics such as hair color, personality, and even eye color,” says Sweeney in one of the video clips before the camera meets blue eyes. “My jeans are blue.”
However, the American Eagle rejected the concept in a statement posted on social media on Friday.
“Her jeans. Her story,” read the post. “We will continue to celebrate the way that everyone is wearing AE jeans with confidence.
Sweeney representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the brand’s new statement.
Sweeney has not publicly commented on the backlash from the campaign.
Celebrities, who gained fame thanks to their lead roles in “The White Lotus” and “Euphoria,” appeared on more than 12 posts on American Eagle’s Instagram before the film swapped feature models.
Some commenters who pointed out that the new model looked non-white, quickly called the company’s new post “damage control.”
Angela Yang contributed.
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