American Eagle Ad Sparks Racism and Stock Surge

American Eagle's advertising campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney has faced widespread criticism for its play on the words 'jeans' and 'genes,' which many have interpreted as promoting racist, eugenicist, and white supremacist undertones due to Sweeney's appearance and the campaign's emphasis on her 'great genes.' The backlash, especially pronounced online, includes accusations of echoing Nazi propaganda, a lack of diversity in the campaign's creation, and tone-deafness related to its charitable domestic violence awareness tie-in. Defenders argue the outrage is exaggerated and the wordplay is being misinterpreted. Despite the controversy, American Eagle's stock price surged, attributed to meme stock trading rather than actual brand performance. Neither Sydney Sweeney nor American Eagle has publicly addressed the backlash. The campaign remains active across multiple platforms.