(New York) accused of promoting eugenics and white supremacy ideals or on the contrary praised for its audacity and reaffirmation of traditional values, an advertising campaign of the American Eagle Jeans brand Sydney Sweeney featured a strong controversy on the Internet.
Some social media users have indignant, saying that the word game of the slogan “Sydney Sweeney has superb jeans” (“Sydney Sweeney has superb genes”), associated with the blue eyes and the actress blond hair, has racist connotations.
Others, on the other hand, opponents declared to what they denounce as the ideology “Woke”, praise this campaign launched last Wednesday, believing that it is not imbued with politically correct.
Texas Ted Cruz republican senator published a photo of Sweeney on X and wrote: “Wow. Now the crazy left attacks beautiful women. I’m sure it will go through the polls. ”
Neither American Eagle nor the 27 -year -old actress, appointed to the Emmy Awards and especially known for her roles in the series The White Lotus And Euphoriadid not react publicly to this controversy.
“The charm of daughter next door and the energy of Sweeney, associated with her ability not to take too seriously, are the trademark of this daring and fun campaign,” said the company last week.
According to her, her collaboration with Sweeney was aimed at “strengthening her position as a n ° 1 jeans brand with generation Z”.
The action of American Eagle rebounded by almost 20 % in a week when it had lost 40 % since the end of January.
“The genes are transmitted from parents to their children and often determine characteristics such as hair color, personality and even eye color. My genes are blue, “says Sweeney, dressed in a jeans set, in one of the spots.
This controversy illustrates a cleavage in the current cultural war in the United States: the conservatives claiming to be “anti-Woke” see it as a celebration of traditional beauty in the face of progressives who denounce excluding and grossophobic standards.
For Rachel Tashjian, fashion critic Washington Postregardless of the fact that this advertisement or not has racial connotations or an intentional message beyond the sale of jeans, it “is part of a wave of images of influencers, pop stars and musicians who seem attached to the values of another era”.
“Over the past five or six years, fashion and pop culture seemed very interested, even dedicated, in bodily positivity. Today, we are obreve of images of slimming, whiteness and ostentatious wealth, “she notes in an interview published on Monday.
