White House responds to outrage over Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad
-AFP/American Eagle
The White House has entered the debate sparked by American Eagle’s “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign, which some critics say crosses into uncomfortable territory by playing on themes of "genes" and narrow beauty standards.
President Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung called the backlash “moronic,” arguing that liberal critics wrongly labeled the campaign tone‑deaf and accusing cancel culture of fueling the controversy.
Cancel culture run amok. This warped, moronic, and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024. They're tired of this bullshit. pic.twitter.com/He7Ji6O3VF
Meanwhile, US Senator Ted Cruz publicly defended Sydney Sweeney, mocking the critics in a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women. I’m sure that will poll well.”
Wow. Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women.
I’m sure that will poll well…. https://t.co/azOMXl3KXwCruz dismissed claims of eugenics undertones and reposted a New York Post article describing the backlash.
American Eagle has not issued a public response. After the campaign launched, the company disabled comments on key posts and quietly substituted alternate visuals, including imagery featuring a woman of color to soften the message.
The campaign itself, including its tagline and key scripts, remains unchanged.
Despite the clamor, the limited-edition “Sydney Jean” line sold out quickly, and American Eagle’s stock rose by 7–10% in the days following the rollout.
Proceeds are being donated to Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit focused on mental health and domestic violence support.
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