Despite having been the source of the far-left’s latest meltdown and proof of their general unhappiness with life, it took until Tuesday’s CBS Mornings for a flagship morning or evening network newscast to mention the American Eagle jeans ad starring actress Sydney Sweeney and ludicrous claims it embraced eugenics, Nazism, and white supremacy.
“Alright, ahead, how an ad with Sydney Sweeney shows how hard it is for companies to navigate the intersection between marketing and politics,” teased co-host Nate Burleson.
Featured co-host Vladimir Duthiers cued up correspondent Jo-Ling Kent’s report with an ominous lead-in fretting “a well-known clothing retailer is the latest example of an American company getting caught up in a cultural politics [sic] after trying to boost sales with a very provocative ad” that “[s]ome complained it sent an offensive message.”
Following a portion of the ad, Kent said the “play on words” of “genes and jeans kick-started a cultural firestorm with American Eagle and Sydney Sweeney at the center” because “[c]ritics have accused of playing up eugenics that Sweeney’s white skin color, blond hair, and blue eyes were greater than other genes.”
This was followed by two far-left, miserable-looking TikTok users declaring it to be “Nazi propaganda” and “fascist weird.”
“Others have called the negative reaction overblown and support for the ad now extends to the White House...[T]hat includes President Trump, calling it ‘the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there’ and praising Sweeney’s reported political leanings,” she added with a clip in-between of Vice President JD Vance speaking our buddies at the Ruthless variety progrum.
Kent also found a reporter from the site Ad Age to kirk dirt on the company: “It’s not really about the jeans anymore at this point....If they’re hoping to create buzz, they did that. But I don’t know if it’s necessarily what their target demographic wants to see from them.”
Thankfully, it wasn’t all bad. After Kent’s report, Burleson, Duthiers, and fellow co-host Gayle King chit-chatted and admitted they weren’t buying all the hate.
“I honestly didn’t see the ad that way...I never thought about the other stuff,” King replied with Duthiers stating “I thought of it more like that old Brooke Shields/Calvin Klein ad..It was a provocative ad. And, look, you guys know I worked for 20 years in finance. You saw that stock price...That’s the bottom line.”
Burleson made a quip of his own: “Whether I have denim on or not, I feel like I got great genes too. I’m dark-skin, tall, and athletic, got good hair. I got great genes.”
Speaking of the Shields ad, that came up during a lengthy segment about Sweeney on the late Monday/early Tuesday edition of ABC’s Nightline.
“The American Eagle ad that no one can stop talking about...starring Sydney Sweeney...caught up in a firestorm. Everyone from the President...to singer Lizzo weighing in on Instagram. Is there any such thing as bad publicity,” wondered co-host Byron Pitts in a tease.
Later, Pitts tossed to correspondent Ashan Singh by invoking the Shields ad from 45 years ago: “Tonight, not since Brooke Shields’s Calvin Klein ad has the jeans company ignited such a firestorm as American Eagle’s campaign starring actress Sydney Sweeney. Is it about jeans or more than that?”
“The ad campaign that it seems like no one can stop talking about, garnering massive attention. Actor Sydney Sweeney, clad in all denim for American Eagle, looking to the camera and delivering these words,” Singh began ahead of a clip from Sweeney’s ad and the play on words between jeans and genes.
Hilariously, he did a man on the street and found someone who was complaining about the ad...despite wearing American Eagle jean shorts (click “expand”):
SINGH [TO MALE NYC PASSERBY #1]: When you first saw that ad, what was your reaction?
MALE NYC PASSERBY #1: I won’t lie to you. At first, I kind of skipped it over. I didn’t pay too much mind to it until later on TikTok. I see people paying more attention.
TIKTOK USER “AJWASHUNTED”: It’s giving eugenics. It’s giving white supremacy. I’m uncomfortable watching that, and I’m white.
SINGH: For those who find it offensive, saying it’s promoting eugenics and its discredited idea of white genetic superiority —
FEMALE NYC PASSERBY #1: Scripting in the individual that they chose was definitely not the right route.
SINGH [TO FEMALE NYC PASSERBY #1]: Are you wearing American Eagle shorts right now?
FEMALE NYC PASSERBY #1: But I am American eagle shorts right now.
SINGH [TO FEMALE NYC PASSERBY #1]: How has it changed your opinion on the company and how you will —
FEMALE NYC PASSERBY #1: Slightly.
SINGH [TO FEMALE NYC PASSERBY #1]: — like, will you continue to shop there?
FEMALE NYC PASSERBY #1: Slightly. I mean, I’m not going in the store today, I can tell you that right now.
SINGH: — to others who find it harmless and say it’s just about the denim.
TIKTOK USER “MANIC4LYFE”: Haters, that’s what you all are. Sydney Sweeney looks damn good. Keep on hating. Congratulations, Sydney.
FEMALE NYC PASSERBY #2: Honestly, like, she can do her thing. I’m a girl’s girl, so I support it.
Following a Trump soundbite, he went to a writer from the far-left ESPN woke site Andscape and then a PR professional with the latter fretting “[t]he culture wars are far from over” (click “expand”):
ANDSCAPE’S KELLEY L. CARTER: Everyone is talking about the American Eagle advertisement because essentially they feel like the advertiser is making a play with homophones with jeans and genes. Some of the viewers are saying, you know, this is just an ad, we’re — we’re looking too much into this and then others are saying, no, this is absolutely problematic and something that we should address.
PR PROFESSIONAL ROSEMARY WILSON: Anytime you get a response to anything that’s this strong, it obviously is a sign that you’ve really struck a chord. The culture wars are far from over, right?
SINGH: Over the weekend, the actress at the center of it all stepping out at the premiere of her new film Americanah, but staying mum on the controversy.
CARTER: Sydney Sweeney is one of the hottest young Hollywood stars right now. She not only is in shows that your children are probably watching like Euphoria.
[EUPHORIA SCENE]
CARTER: She also was in the first season of the well lauded anthology, The White Lotus.
[WHITE LOTUS SCENE]
CARTER: She is someone who is very much collecting credits and some of the most inventive pieces of art right now in Hollywood.
SINGH: The 27-year-old, also making waves in her first starring role in a large feature film, Anyone But You, alongside Glen Powell.
[ANYONE BUT YOU SCENE]
SINGH: Sweeney’s latest domination of the news cycle started nearly two weeks ago, when retailer American Eagle dropped its new campaign with several different videos and billboards.
This led into Singh’s own mash-up of cartoonish leftists lashing out, but at least acknowledged Sweeney’s other high-profile defenders besides Trump, such as Megyn Kelly and Bill Maher.
“This serves as a good reminder that the American public is still highly divided and polarized and I think that, you know, anything or any business or company that, you know, wades into that crossfire, can expect to have a similar reaction,” PR professional Rosemary Wilson argued.
Singh even touted celebrities mocking Sweeney, including one from Doja Cat (whoever that is) mocking Sweeney as though she were backwater hillbilly.
Another Shields reference later and nods to Sweeney’s other endorsement deals for men’s soap and Baskin Robbins, Singh wound things down with more from his two experts (click “expand”):
CARTER: Sydney Sweeney is pretty much ubiquitous right now. And aside from the brand deals, she’s just everywhere. She was recently at Jeff Bezos’s wedding. She truly is someone who has made a mark on pop culture.
PAPARAZZI: Sydney, those eyes please.
SINGH: The big question now, what does this mean for Sydney Sweeney standing in Hollywood?
WILSON: It’s hard to know how everything will play out in the end for both, you know, the company and Sydney Sweeney, you know, personally and you know, by way of, you know, the brand that’s built up around her.
CARTER: I think this is a prime example of there being no such thing as bad publicity. Not only has American Eagle stock gone up, but people are actually searching for these ads to see what people are talking about in the first place.
To see the relevant transcripts from August 5, click here (for ABC’s Nightline) and here (for CBS Mornings).
