Meanwhile, American Eagle and Sydney Sweeney aimed for quirky wordplay, a joke that didn’t land, and got a PR headache. The ad, which opens with Sweeney discussing her “great genes” before revealing it’s actually about “jeans,” ignited immediate backlash. Critics accused it of evoking eugenics rhetoric and idealising white beauty standards.

American Eagle's response to criticism of Sydney Sweeney's jeans ad represents a cultural shift away from corporate apologies for marketing campaigns.