(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate)

The Brief

Sydney Sweeney stars in a fall campaign from American Eagle with the tagline "great jeans," prompting debate over a wordplay on "genes."

Critics say the ad evokes racial and beauty stereotypes, while others defend it as harmless branding.

American Eagle hasn’t commented publicly as the campaign continues across digital and social platforms.

American Eagle’s newest marketing campaign was meant to be playful and bold—but it’s now at the center of an online backlash over a single word: "genes."

The campaign, fronted by actor Sydney Sweeney, features the tagline "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans." But a teaser video shared on social media switches the word to "genes," sparking criticism from some viewers who say the messaging—int

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