Sydney Sweeney Ad Backlash Is 'Bulls***,' White House Spokesperson Says
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White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung has dubbed the fallout over the recent American Eagle advertisement starring Sydney Sweeney as "bull****" in a post on social media.
Newsweek reached out to American Eagle and Sweeney via email for comment.
Why It Matters
American Eagle and Sweeney have come under fire following the Anyone But You star's appearance in an ad campaign for the brand.
The campaign has the tagline, "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans." This line has drawn backlash on social media and has sparked discourse about racism and eugenics.
Sydney Sweeney attends the "Echo Valley" premiere in London on June 10, 2025.
Sydney Sweeney attends the "Echo Valley" premiere in London on June 10, 2025.
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images
What To Know
In a post on social media, Cheung wrote that the backlash to the ad was "cancel culture run amok." He said that "dense liberal" thinking is why America voted for President Donald Trump in 2024, adding that they are "tired" of this "bull****."
In the ad, Sweeney, clad in denim, says, "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color...my jeans are blue."
Critics of the ad have argued that the play on "genes" echoes eugenics ideology, which promoted white genetic superiority and enabled the forced sterilization of marginalized groups.
One TikTok by the creator @thealtperspective viewed 1.8 million times as of press time has the text overlay "literally an ad FULL of racist and fascist dog whistles. 'great jeans,' a pun on great genes, those genes being blue eyed, blonde hair, white skin."
Dr. Brett Staniland, a model and sustainable fashion advocate, told Newsweek that "this specific campaign has sparked backlash for multiple reasons—firstly the terminology and its inferences suggest a connection to Sydney Sweeney's appearance being perfect, denoting her blonde hair, blue eyes and white skin, as well as her body."
"The second part of it is that it's sexually charged," he said. "In one shot, the lens travels down her body for her to say, 'Hey, eye's up here,' a clear reference to something women have experienced for years at the hands of objectifying men. Trivializing this sentiment to sell jeans has obviously not been well received."
"We are at a particularly sensitive time in the world," Staniland told Newsweek. "The public are now hyper aware of messaging and the actual undertones of what is being said."
Some have celebrated the ad for pushing back against "wokeness."
A post on X from the account @thatsKAIZEN, viewed 1.9 million times, reads "The Sydney Sweeney 'has good genes' ads aren't about white supremacy. There is no 'racist undertone,' unless you choose to put it there. They're about the end of cancel culture, which demonizes beauty, excellence, and virtue itself. Woke is dead, and beauty is back."
Sweeney has become associated with the conservative hot girl phenomenon. Several right-wing commentators have previously lauded her appearance as "the death of woke."
What People Are Saying
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, on X: "Cancel culture run amok. This warped, moronic, and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024. They're tired of this bull****."
Dr. Brett Staniland told Newsweek: "Fashion notoriously has no accountability for anyone or any brand, so I doubt any real repercussions will come of this to American Eagle."
What Happens Next
Neither Sweeney nor American Eagle has publicly responded to the controversy as of press time.
Following the fallout over the campaign, American Eagle's stock has reportedly surged by 4 percent, indicating that this may well be a commercial win for the brand despite the online fallout.
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