An American Eagle jeans commercial starring rising Hollywood actress Sydney Sweeney has made waves in the United States and beyond.
The ad plays on the English homophones jeans and genes. In the spot, Sweeney says she has “great jeans” while the camera zooms in on her striking blue eyes — a creative twist that quickly sparked controversy.
Critics from the progressive “woke” camp accused the brand of promoting Nazi-era ideals, arguing that featuring a white, blonde, blue-eyed actress as a beauty standard is exclusionary.
The debate intensified after journalists revealed that Sweeney is a registered member of the U.S. Republican Party. Former President Donald Trump praised both her political leanings and the commercial itself, calling it “one of the best ads” he’s seen.
Despite — or perhaps because of — the backlash, American Eagle has reported that sales have doubled since the campaign’s launch, suggesting that many consumers are embracing different ideals of beauty than those promoted by advocates of “diversity” and “inclusivity.”
Stratos Karanikolaou
Foreign Relations
National Democratic Movement (ΔΕΚ)
