Sydney Sweeney American Eagle Jeans Ad Adored by Neo-Nazi
A commercial for American Eagle jeans featuring actress Sydney Sweeney has sparked significant controversy, with criticism escalating after former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, who has admitted to having neo-Nazi beliefs in his youth, praised the advertisement on social media.
The campaign, launched in late July, features Sweeney in denim with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” which plays on the word “genes.” In promotional videos, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed actress states, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue.” Critics immediately denounced the wordplay as eugenic messaging, with some describing it as “Nazi propaganda” due to its focus on the genetic attributes of a white actress.
Sydney Sweeney’s Campaign Controversial Design was Intentional
The controversy centers on what critics perceive as eugenic dog whistles in the advertising. Marcus Collins, a marketing professor at the University of Michigan, noted that the campaign communicates “a prototypical standard for good genes: white, blond hair, blue eyes.” The phrase “great genes” has historically been associated with eugenics movements that promoted selective breeding for supposedly superior traits.
Evidence has emerged that American Eagle fully anticipated the controversial response to their campaign. Chief Marketing Officer Craig Brommers told trade publications that the campaign included “clever, even provocative language” and was “definitely going to push buttons” before its launch.
Most revealing were internal communications from American Eagle executives that demonstrated their awareness of the campaign’s potential for controversy. Ashley Schapiro, the company’s Vice President of Marketing, Media, Performance and Engagement, detailed the planning process in a LinkedIn post. She revealed that during a Zoom call with Sweeney, the team asked her, “How far do you want to push it?”
Sydney Sweeney
According to Schapiro, Sweeney responded without hesitation: “Let’s push it. I’m game.” The American Eagle team replied “Challenge Accepted,” and Schapiro wrote that “Syd’s sentiment guided every frame, every stitch and every unexpected twist of the ‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ campaign. Infusing our own personal cheeky energy and making us laugh as we envisioned how the world would experience the launch.”
Schapiro explicitly acknowledged their awareness of the campaign’s dual meaning, writing: “The star power of Sydney and the double meaning behind the campaign has a culture-shaping power beyond anything I could have ever imagined being a part of – just check your social feeds.” This statement demonstrates that American Eagle’s marketing team was fully conscious of the “genes/jeans” wordplay’s implications and deliberately chose to proceed. Craig Brommers described it as “this defining moment” for the brand.
Sean Strickland’s Controversial Background
Strickland’s endorsement of the advertisement is particularly significant given his self-disclosed history with neo-Nazi ideology. In interviews, he has openly discussed his youth, revealing that his grandfather filled his head with white supremacist ideas during his formative years.
My grandfather was this big piece of sh*t,” Strickland explained in an interview with Ariel Helwani. “When you’re a kid, you don’t see that, you hero-worship him… he just kind of filled your head with crazy shit. Because you’re in seventh grade, spouting off Nazi [ideas] — you don’t fucking know that. You don’t even know what the fuck that means”
Strickland described drawing swastikas on his arm and walking to school, admitting he was inspired by Edward Norton’s character in “American History X.”
Strickland, known for his controversial statements, amplified the debate by posting on Twitter: “Sometimes I only focus on the bad in America and forget about the good…. We went from chick’s with dick andfat DEI quotas to Sweeneys fine little ass :,) its a beautiful day in America American eagle making titties great again…… :,).” His endorsement of the campaign drew additional scrutiny given his admitted history with white supremacist ideology.
Current Controversial Beliefs and Statements
Despite claiming to have renounced his neo-Nazi past, Strickland continues to make statements that generate significant controversy. His recent comments demonstrate a pattern of inflammatory rhetoric targeting marginalized communities.
Regarding women’s rights, Strickland has argued that allowing women to vote and drive was a mistake. At a UFC press conference in 2023, he stated: “We need to go back to taking women out of the workforce. Maybe that is where we f*cked up, you guys, we let women vote, no offense… We need to put women back in the kitchen… only one man needs to be working.”
On LGBTQ+ issues, Strickland has made numerous homophobic and transphobic statements. He previously tweeted that if he had a gay son, he would “think I failed as a man to create such weakness.” During a press conference in Toronto, when questioned about these comments, he launched into an anti-LGBTQ+ tirade, calling a reporter “the f*cking enemy” and an “infection.”
Strickland has also made derogatory comments about women’s mixed martial arts, comparing female fighters to cats while describing male fighters as lions. He claimed that “no one wants to watch” women’s MMA and suggested that even an average male reporter could “beat up” UFC champion Raquel Pennington .
His statements about Islam have also drawn criticism. In January 2025, he posted controversial comments about Islamic values being incompatible with American values, and previously made personal attacks against retired UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov that referenced the fighter’s religious lifestyle.
American Eagle’s Market Impact
Despite the backlash, American Eagle has stood by its campaign. The company issued a statement saying: “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
The controversy has had measurable financial impact. American Eagle’s stock price jumped more than 10 percent following the campaign launch, adding approximately $200 million to the company’s market value.
Many marketing experts and cultural critics argued that the campaign’s timing and messaging were tone-deaf. Dr. Sayantani DasGupta of Columbia University stated that “a woman of colour would not have been hired for this advertisement.” Cultural anthropologist Shalini Shankar suggested the campaign represented American Eagle wanting to “rebrand itself for a particular kind of white privileged American.”
