Sydney Sweeney critics compare jeans campaign to Brooke Shields' Calvin Klein ad

USA Today

6 days ago

Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle campaign is not only sparking controversy. It's giving fans a case of pop culture déjà vu.
The "Euphoria" star's collaboration with the clothing brand has been drawing criticism for its double entendre-laden tagline, "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans."
In one of the campaign videos, a reclining Sweeney buttons up her jeans as the camera pans up her body and she speaks in a matter-of-fact tone, saying "genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue."
Some critics have argued that an allusion to "great genes" in an ad featuring a blond-haired, blue-eyed woman felt like a reference to eugenics, the discredited belief that the human population can be improved through selective breeding.
Aside from its questionable marketing, the jeans campaign is also earning scrutiny for its alleged similarities to Brooke Shields' 1980 Calvin Klein ad, which drew controversy for its perceived sexual tone.
Sydney Sweeney controversy: Why actress's jeans ad is ruffling feathers
Why was Brooke Shields' Calvin Klein ad controversial?
At the time of Shields' ad, the campaign sparked controversy by having the then-15-year-old model recite the ambiguous brand tagline: "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing."
Shields told Vogue in October 2021 that she thought the backlash, which centered on the alleged sexualization of an underage Shields, was "ridiculous."
"I was naive, I didn't think anything of it. I didn't think it had to do with underwear, I didn't think it was sexual in nature. I would say it about my sister, 'Nobody can come between me and my sister,' " she explained.
The actress also recalled being shocked that she was being "berated" by the public, who assumed she knew the intention behind the commercials. "I think the assumption is that I was much more savvy than I ever really was."
Brooke Shields auctions Calvin Klein jeans from controversial ad
Sydney Sweeney ad divides internet with Brooke Shields comparison
Some users on social media compared the style of Sweeney's American Eagle campaign to the sexual controversy of Shields' Calvin Klein ad.
"That Sydney Sweeney ad 😬 and finding out it's referencing an ad that sexualized 15-year-old Brooke Shields😬😬," @naledimashishi wrote on X.
"Are they legitimately referencing that super inappropriate sexual commercial of Brooke Shields, who was like 15 years old at the time?" wrote @nanauzumakiii, also citing the campaign's partnership with nonprofit Crisis Text Line. "They're referencing a commercial that took advantage of a minor to raise money for domestic violence victims?"
"Very uncomfortable. Clearly referencing the Brooke Shields CK ad. She was 15 in that," @lazysusansontag commented. "This doesn't feel sensual or sexy, but rather it's a voyeur of the idea of sex. This is not even artistic or original. It's just. Bad."
Meanwhile, other commenters downplayed the fashion controversy, with some chalking up the backlash to political differences.
"In 1980, our world was shattered by this Calvin Klein jeans commercial starring Brooke Shields," @JebraFaushay wrote on X. "Just kidding, no one batted an eye or cried about eugenics like they are now."
"Whatever you do, do not — and I repeat, do not — share Brooke Shields' Calvin Klein Jeans ad from 1980. It might just send liberals over the edge," @ImMeme0 wrote.
"Where did American Eagle get the idea for Sydney Sweeney's commercial? They copied it," @Nance726 commented. "This is Calvin Klein and Brooke Shields in the '80s … and nobody freaked out."
Contributing: Nicole Fallert and Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY