American Eagle in crisis after Sydney Sweeney ad praised by Trump

American Eagle is facing a consumer boycott after launching a jeans ad campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney.

Sydney Sweeney's fashion ad has sparked international media discussion about the campaign message, to the point that even US President Donald Trump had to speak out - Photo: Entertainment Weekly

Forbes magazine reported that the American Eagle brand recently launched an advertising campaign for its fall jeans line in collaboration with Sydney Sweeney - a star who rose to fame from HBO's hit series such as Euphoria and The White Lotus.

The campaign's slogan was: "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans" - a play on "great genes".

The ad exploits Sydney Sweeney's blue eyes and blonde hair, even quoting her as saying: "Genetics determine traits like hair color, personality, eye color. And my jeans are blue."

American Eagle jeans commercial video

However, the idea quickly faced fierce criticism. Many consumers felt that the campaign celebrated white privilege while unintentionally excluding diversity in skin color, body shape and identity.

Even when he learned that Sydney Sweeney was a Republican, US President Donald Trump praised the ad as "hot" and "awesome", causing American Eagle shares to skyrocket 23%.

American Eagle in crisis

At first, the attention seemed to be a media boon. But new data from Placer.ai suggests otherwise: American Eagle store traffic is down 10% year-over-year, signaling the campaign may be backfiring.

In the current political climate in the United States, many people see the “American Eagle boycott” as a way to exercise consumer power. Axios poll found that 39% of young women and 42% of Democratic voters said they would buy less American Eagle after the campaign.

American Eagle is famous for its jeans line that is popular among 15-25 year olds in the US - Photo: Bloomberg

This is particularly dangerous, because the brand depends on jeans sales from this customer group. Experts say this is a sign of a "brand culture crisis".

In response, American Eagle asserted that the campaign "has always been about jeans, Sydney Sweeney's story and confident style" and that "great jeans can flatter everyone".

According to The Hollywood Reporter, it is likely that American Eagle will have to withdraw or adjust the campaign soon, even though this is costly.

This denim campaign has somewhat affected Sydney Sweeney's life. The controversy exploded so much that it spread from TikTok to the mainstream press, and then even to the White House - Photo: American Eagle

Keeping the controversial message intact would be even more damaging when store traffic was down 10% year-over-year, and consumers were less likely to choose to buy the product.

In this context, the brand may shift to a safer, more neutral campaign to appease the public. The most important thing for American Eagle right now is to protect its hard-won position among younger customers, and that requires quick, decisive action.

How influential is Sydney Sweeney?

As for Sydney Sweeney, with two Emmy nominations, the actress is in the most energetic phase of her career: she just co-starred with Julianne Moore in Echo Valley (Apple TV+), and has two consecutive films released in the US in August ( Americana and Eden with Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby and Daniel Brühl).

In September, she continued to bring the role of a gay boxer in Christy (David Michod, premiering in Toronto), while also serving as a producer.

Sydney Sweeney's appearance in the movie Americana - Photo: IMDb

She then reprises her role in The Housemaid opposite Amanda Seyfried, which got the CinemaCon audience buzzing with the first trailer. And in 2026, the final season of Euphoria , which launched Sydney Sweeney to stardom, will premiere.

Sydney Sweeney has chosen to remain silent for now. The actress has not commented on the campaign or the backlash, leaving American Eagle to speak for itself.

Still, the upcoming fall will be a busy time for Sydney Sweeney, as she promotes several new films. And she'll certainly face questions from the press, at least at her press conference at the Toronto Film Festival.

Sydney Sweeney plays a gay boxer in Christy - Photo: Variety

Nathan Miller, CEO and founder of strategic communications firm Miller Ink, which represents Fortune 500 corporations and Hollywood stars, explains: "If you really want to come out, that's fine. But Sydney Sweeney is under no obligation to do so just because someone digs up information.

It's perfectly fine to say, 'I'm not talking about politics, it's personal. I'm just here to talk about my film.' She has nothing to lose. That's the safest strategy."

A legal source told The Hollywood Reporter it's too early to tell how the American Eagle controversy will affect Sydney Sweeney long-term.

However, they note that some companies may avoid collaborating if they are concerned about the public being "fed up with Sydney Sweeney" or if her image poses a risk.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/american-eagle-khung-hoang-sau-khi-quang-cao-cua-sydney-sweeney-duoc-ong-trump-ca-ngoi-20250816233405852.htm