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“So American eagle admits they are naz****s [sic],” another said beside an 15-second clip of Sweeney cuddling a German shepherd dog. The comment received more than 4500 likes.
“Blong (sic) hair, blue eyes, HOLDING A GERMAN SHEPHERD!!! What were you all thinking? Did you know what you were implying? This is not ok,” another commenter said.
Another clip featuring Sweeney wearing a low-cut singlet while working on a car attracted the observation: “Leaning into eugenics is a WILD take. No thanks,” collecting more than 6000 likes in the process.
An Instagram clip of Sweeney apparently crossing out the word “genes” on a street billboard and replacing it with the word “jeans” was also slammed.
“It’s giving “Subtle 1930’s Germany”, one comment read.
Conservatives claim Sweeney
However, the campaign has also had its defenders.
“Woke advertising is dead. Sydney Sweeney killed it,” said right-wing commentator Kyle Becker on X.
“ There is no “racist undertone”, unless you choose to put it there. They’re about the end of cancel culture, which demonises beauty, excellence, and virtue itself,” X user Kaizen D. Asiedu said.
Sweeney responded on X a few weeks later: “You guys this is wild. An innocent celebration for my moms milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions,” she tweeted.
Sweeny has remained tight-lipped about her political views but has said she is pro-choice and has also expressed support for LGBTQI+ rights on X.
So what went wrong?
Senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Adelaide’s Adelaide Business School, Dr Amelie Burgess, says it is unlikely the American Eagle campaign was deliberately provoking the controversy.
“I think that backlash is always a risk even without being deliberately provocative,” she says. “It’s rare that a company like AE with a diverse young audience would lean into something so polarising.”
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As she notes, the ad’s messaging “is intersecting uncomfortably with eugenics ideologies” but “that group of people are not dominant in our society”.
“It’s not a smart business move or a good societal move either.”
Burgess believes it is more likely the misstep came from a lack of diversity among the American Eagle marketing team and Sweeney’s own advisers.
“It’s probably poor creative development and execution,” she says.
“You have that provocative wordplay and it’s obviously not been properly assessed for cultural implication … and you have someone not very diverse leading that campaign.
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“Theres a benefit in having diversity across all business functions, but especially in marketing.”
Burgess’ research has shown that a lack of diversity can affect marketing imagery and messaging and make the company tone-deaf and slow to respond when issues do blow up.
As for any longer-term damage, Burgess observes that we expect brands to be accountable these days, and there are consequences for such missteps. And although Sweeney’s fan base can provide a buffer for a period, it won’t necessarily last.
“That sustained controversy does erode that over time, and we have seen that … It depends on how the brand responds and how Sydney Sweeney responds.”
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