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American Eagle’s “Great Jeans” Misstep on The Viral List

Minimalistic “go-see outfits,” kidults discovering the Moomins, and Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign backlash are going viral…

Written and Edited by the YPulse Editorial Team
KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • Sydney Sweeney’s “Great Jeans” ad with American Eagle is under fire online, with users calling it “tone deaf” and even accusing the brand of racism
  • Gen Z is embracing the America’s Next Top Model era “go-see outfit” trend for minimal, easy-to-style everyday looks
  • The Moomins, illustrated hippo-like creatures from the ‘40s, are having a viral breakout in the U.S. as Gen Z’s latest comfort-core obsession
Young people are calling out American Eagle’s “great jeans” campaign with Sydney Sweeney  The new denim ad’s central slogan is “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” and is paired with a campaign video where Sweeney explains, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, like hair and eye color…” before joking that her “jeans are blue.” And while it sounds simple on the surface, it’s sparked accusations of the brand promoting eugenics and glorifying White beauty standards. Many critics—Gen Z vocally among them—took issue with American Eagle using Sweeney, a White actress with blonde hair and blue eyes, as the face of...

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