Sydney Sweeney’s brother Trent has mocked the backlash his sister is facing over her American Eagle campaign.
The Euphoria actress, 27, is the face of the label’s autumn advertising rollout, which has the tagline, ‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.’
The controversial advertisement has been accused of pushing Nazi-like eugenics as aspirational with some viewing it as a remark on her genetic background which is mixed European ancestry; she grew up in rural Idaho.
Sharing a photo to his Instagram Story on Thursday, Trent announced his promotion to Staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force.
Alongside a snap of his certificate, he wrote: ‘It’s them good jeans.’
On Friday American Eagle said Sydney did nothing wrong with their ads after they were branded ‘Nazi propaganda’ by woke critics.
Sydney Sweeney’s brother Trent has mocked the backlash his sister is facing over her American Eagle campaign (pictured together in 2025)
The Euphoria actress, 27, is the face of the label’s autumn advertising rollout, which has the tagline, ‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’
Some saw her ‘great jeans’ campaign to be a remark on her genetic background which is mixed European ancestry; she grew up in rural Idaho.
The phrase ‘great genes’ is ‘historically used to celebrate whiteness, thinness and attractiveness,’ which it said made ‘this campaign seem to be a tone-deaf marketing move,’ a Salon report on the backlash read.
Others found the link ‘ridiculous’ and thought the ads were just fine.
Fans have now started comparing Sweeney’s ad to Beyoncé’s Levi’s campaign. They both featured denim-on-denim styling, blonde hair, and close-up shots.
Others were quick to dismiss this comparison, pointing out that Beyoncé never referenced ‘genes’ or made genetic implications.
Following the backlash, American Eagle took to Instagram to defend Sydney, penning: ‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans is and always was about the jeans.
‘Her jeans. Her story,’ it was added. ‘We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.’
In a series of images, the Spokane, Washington-born beauty – who is set to play boxer Christy Martin in an upcoming biopic – is seen modelling a variety of denim-based ensembles.
Sharing a photo to his Instagram Story on Thursday, Trent announced his promotion to Staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force and wrote: ‘It’s them good jeans’
The advertisement has been accused of pushing Nazi-like eugenics as aspirational with some viewing it as a remark on her genetic background which is mixed European
Fans have now started comparing Sweeney’s ad to Beyoncé’s Levi’s campaign. They both featured denim-on-denim styling, blonde hair, and close-up shots
In an accompanying video, Sydney is seen buttoning up her jeans as she muses: ‘Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour… my genes are blue’.
A second advert sees the camera pan down Sydney’s chest as she models a plunging denim jumpsuit.
She muses: ‘My body’s composition is determined by my genes…’ before exclaiming: ‘Hey, eyes up here’ as the camera cuts back to her face.
The advert has divided fans, however, with one critic calling the clip ‘one of the loudest and most obvious racialized dog whistles we’ve seen and heard in a while.’
Taking to social media, many expressed their shock at messaging, which they aligned to Nazi propaganda.
Outraged fans penned: ‘So Sydney (& American Eagle) somehow expect audiences to not interpret this visual as a euphemism for eugenics and white supremacy?
‘The Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ad campaign is just modern day Nazi propaganda. Like it’s wild how blatant it is. Things are weird right now, man.’;
‘The most nazi part of the Sydney Sweeney add for me was the use of the word offspring’; ”Jeans (Genes) are past down from parent to offspring’ ‘My jeans (genes) are blue’ ‘Sydney Sweeney has great jeans (genes)’ Nothing is ever a coincidence, this is eugenics’;
TikTok named Angie under the handle @vital_media_marketing then reviewed the ad and pointed out what she felt were problematic elements with the underlying message.
Angie said: ‘As it’s panning up her body and on her face and her features, she’s literally talking about her family tree and the genetics that have been handed down to her, her blonde hair and her blue eyes, and how great they are.’
Many people panned the tone of the ad campaign on American Eagle’s Instagram page , as one user quipped, It’s giving ‘Subtle 1930’s Germany.”
Yet many were quick to defend Sydney, branding the backlash ‘unhinged’.
In an accompanying video, Sydney is seen buttoning up her jeans as she muses: ‘Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour… my genes are blue’
American Eagle said the Euphoria actress did nothing wrong with their ads after they were branded ‘Nazi propaganda’ by woke critics
They shared on X/Twitter: ‘I’m not sure how to say this nicely but if you think a jeans ad with a pun about Sydney Sweeney being pretty is a nazi dogwhistle you genuinely need to put the phone down for a while.’; ‘everyone is seriously reading too much into this and y’all need to go take a hike or something because Sydney Sweeney is literally just promoting jeans, not ‘nazi propaganda”;
‘The claim that Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad is pro-eugenics because of a ‘good genes/jeans’ pun is genuinely unhinged. It’s a denim campaign, not a manifesto. Not every blonde with blue eyes is a Nazi. Some of you need a history book — and a nap’;
‘You guys don’t have to like Sydney Sweeney or the ways she promotes herself but don’t you think comparing those Jean commercials to nazi propaganda is a tad extreme?’
Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Sweeney and American Eagle for further comment on the story.
