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By Megan Cartwright
Associate News Editor
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American Eagle's Instagram followers have skyrocketed following its ad campaign with actress Sydney Sweeney.
Newsweek reached out to an American Eagle spokesperson via email for comment.
Why It Matters
American Eagle sparked a firestorm online late last month when the clothing company released a commercial featuring Sweeney, an actress known for her roles on Euphoria and The White Lotus.
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"Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color," she says in the denim ad. "My jeans are blue."
In response to the line, critics argued the wordplay with "genes" had "white supremacy" undertones. Others pushed back against the claims, however, saying that it was just clever marketing.
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On August 1, American Eagle defended their campaign in a statement posted to social media: "'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."
What To Know
Following Sweeney's July 23 commercial, American Eagle has seen a significant surge in social media engagement.
According to the analytics website Social Blade, the brand has picked up more than 142,700 followers on Instagram in the last 30 days, most of which were in the days and weeks after the ad was released.
On August 1, the same day American Eagle released a statement, it racked up 18,300 followers. The next day, it garnered an additional 25,969 followers, and on August 3, 15,492 people clicked the follow button.
In comparison, the company lost 157 followers on July 13 and lost 152 followers on July 14.
At the time of publication, American Eagle has 3.8 million Instagram followers.
The news comes amid American Eagle's stock boost after President Donald Trump complimented the brand. Upon learning Sweeney is a registered Republican in Florida, he told reporters: "I love her ad!"
In a separate message posted to Truth Social, he said Sweeney "has the 'HOTTEST' ad out there" and "the jeans are 'flying off the shelves.'"
On Tuesday, The New York Times reported that American Eagle's stock rose by more than 23 percent after Trump's comments.
What People Are Saying
Sweeney's brother, Trent Sweeney, posted a certificate of his promotion to staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force on Instagram and said: "It's them good jeans."
Robin Landa, an advertising expert and professor at Michael Graves College at Kean University, previously told Newsweek: "The campaign's pun isn't just tone-deaf—it's historically loaded."
Political commentator Megyn Kelly said on her show: "We're sick and f****** tired of the nonsense, where you are not allowed to ever celebrate someone who is white and blonde and blue-eyed. That we have to walk into a room apologetic for those things, or have for the past five years. In a way, this ad is the final declaration that we're done doing that s***. It doesn't mean we're better, but you know what? We're no worse than any other race or any other hair color or eye color."
What Happens Next
Sweeney's new film Americana, which also stars Paul Walter Hauser, Halsey, Simon Rex, Eric Dane and more, hits theaters on Friday, August 15.
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