ADVERTISEMENT American actress Sydney Sweeney has come under fire for a controversial ad campaign with fashion retailer American Eagle, which has divided opinions due to its wordplay in the slogan “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
Now, Doja Cat has joined in on the backlash surrounding the ads, posting a now-viral video on TikTok that sees the ‘Say So’ and ‘Paint The Town Red’ singer mimicking what Sweeney says in one of the ads. In an extremely exaggerated backwoods accent.
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color… my jeans are blue,” Doja says in the clip, mocking Sweeney’s words.
Check out the viral clip below:
Many have criticised the Sydney Sweeney / American Eagle ads’ take on traditional white beauty standards, as well as the use of the “jeans” / “genes” homophone, highlighting how it has white supremacist and Nazi undertones.
This was only bolstered by another advert in which Sweeney stands in front of a billboard of herself with the words “Sydney Sweeney has great genes” on it. As she walks past the poster, the word “genes” gets crossed out and swapped with the word “jeans.”
Read our full explainer on the controversy here.
Amid the intense scrutiny, some have praised the ad for putting an end to “woke” marketing.
This isn’t the first time that Sweeney has been surrounded by controversy.
The Euphoria and White Lotus actress faced criticism earlier this year for the sale of a Dr. Squatch bar of soap that contains her actual bathwater. Many labelled this as being antifeminist.
Additionally, in 2022, she was slammed by fans after photos showed guests wearing MAGA-like hats at a 60th birthday party for her mother.
Sweeney addressed this in a statement, saying: “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.”
Still, the internet was far from convinced…
As of writing, neither Sweeney nor American Eagle have spoken out on the uproar surrounding the polarising jeans campaign.
