Published Jul 31, 2025 07:42 ET Share According to CBC News, the controversy erupted over the line in which Sydney Sweeney said: “But if you said that you want to buy the jeans, I'm not going to stop you. But just so we're clear, this is not me telling you to buy American Eagle jeans.” A voice in the background then said: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” Online commentators claimed this was an instance of wordplay referencing eugenics. However, some others argued that it was nothing more than a pun. Reports also mention that the ad was positively received by many, with statistics showing that 70% of viewers liked it. Per NewsBytes, an executive from American Eagle told TMZ that this was another example of how social media reactions can be misleading. They explained that online backlash doesn’t always reflect real-world customer sentiment. They added that the backlash online did not represent the views of most shoppers. Here’s what a professor from BCIT had to say about the American Eagle ad Following the ad, American Eagle reportedly saw a 20% rise in its shares. Amidst the criticism, Morgan Westcott, a professor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, spoke to CBC News. She said that as a mother and regular shopper, she saw the ad as a smart joke. However, she also believed that most brands knew when they were treading into risky territory—and that might have been intentional. She noted that people were now discussing it on the news, which is something many brands aim for. Expand Tweet Westcott also mentioned that not long ago, American Eagle wasn’t on her or many others’ radar, but now her social media was full of people talking about it. She added: “When I think of American Eagle, their target audience is teenagers. And so, I certainly would not be compelled to buy jeans based on these ads, but I am not American Eagle's target market. And so, when I think of teenagers and I look at some of the statistics and some of the research, you know, it's a classic.” In other news, Sydney Sweeney was seen with another man during a weekend trip to Idaho. As per reports, the two were seen spending cozy time together and even took a jet ski ride.