“Let’s push it, I’m game.”: Sydney Sweeney’s campaign reps share their exact strategic layout behind the viral ad

In July 2025, American Eagle launched a new campaign fronted by actress Sydney Sweeney, titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” The campaign was aimed at promoting the denim line of the brand before the fall, combining cheeky wordplay, immersive digital experiences, and Sweeney, typically associated with star power.

However, this reference to jeans (a pun on genes) prompted a widespread cultural debate online. The campaign became a flashpoint, adopted by fans and criticized by skeptics.

The centerpiece of the campaign was a creative Zoom meeting moment. Ashley Schapiro, Vice President of Marketing, Media, Performance, and Engagement at American Eagle Outfitters Inc., recalled that when the team asked Sweeney how far she wanted to take the idea, she smirked and replied:

“Let’s push it, I’m game.”

That reaction, according to Schapiro, dictated "every frame" and media decision that was made subsequently.

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Sydney Sweeney leads American Eagle’s bold new campaign

American Eagle’s latest campaign, featuring Sydney Sweeney, centered around a provocative pun, “jeans” versus “genes.” In the flagship ad, Sweeney is shown giving an explanation about inherited traits:

"Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour, my jeans (genes) are blue."

As the camera lingers, the on-screen tagline reads, “Sydney Sweeney has Good Jeans.”

Ashley Schapiro explained through the aforementioned LinkedIn post that the team sat down and adopted a “more-is-more” mentality, aimed at not only marketing denim but also making a cultural statement.

She wrote that every detail was made with a wink and a challenge in mind:

“You created more than a campaign- you created a moment in culture and styled every moment with a wink 😜.”

The campaign is set to be accompanied by denim try-on technology powered by AI, interactive 3D billboards, and social media content from behind the scenes in an effort to boost engagement.

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Sydney Sweeney’s denim ad faces scrutiny

Although American Eagle's Sydney Sweeney-starring "Great Jeans" campaign quickly went viral and generated early enthusiasm, the brand found itself at the center of an intensifying backlash.

The pun in this campaign, which implied, “Sydney Sweeney has great genes,” was allegedly intended to be culturally relatable and fun, but the insidious undertones were soon cited by critics.

Posited in the context of beauty standards and racial language of genetics, this messaging landed as tone-deaf to many, especially considering the physical appearance of Sweeney, blonde and blue-eyed, aligning with Eurocentric idea of beauty.

One viral TikToker explained how messages resonated with victims of color, saying:

"It is so difficult to grow up as a person of colour, specifically a woman, and view yourself as beautiful in any sense of the word."

Celebrity voices followed soon. Doja Cat uploaded a viral TikTok imitating the ad down to a Southern accent and over-the-top tone, mocking both the dialogue and its cultural tone.

In response to the growing scrutiny, American Eagle implemented a damage control policy on social media. On Instagram, the brand shared a picture of a woman of color wearing the denim line with the caption, “AE has good jeans.” This imagery was dramatically different from the white dominated imagery of the initial campaign.

In addition, the company quietly turned off comments on Ashley Schapiro's LinkedIn post praising the campaign's boldness. As of now, no formal apology or statement of explanation has been made.

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American Eagle has addressed the backlash of its campaign by making subtle changes, without compromising its initial creative positioning.

Edited by Arunava Dutta