Sydney Sweeney, the blond-haired, blue-eyed actor known for her roles in popular television series, has sparked significant controversy with her latest advertisement for American Eagle. From this campaign a larger conversation has began about race, genetics, and what this kind of advertising means in our world today social climate. The uproar has even reached the White House, highlighting the broader implications of the dialogue surrounding beauty standards and societal values.
Most recently, Sweeney was filmed hawking a bar of soap named after a popular sexual euphemism for male erections. This rare product purportedly contains her old bathwater. Although this strange marketing push made all the headlines, it is her American Eagle promotion that has really attracted the eye. The ad includes Sweeney next to comments about genetics which understandably causes people’s jaws to drop and calls for politicizing eugenics to ensue.
As one important critic points out, Sweeney’s depiction fits into a long and problematic historical fiction inspired by racism. They draw attention to its ties to eugenics. The discussions on social media have exploded, with many social media users comparing it to the most controversial advertising campaign in recent memory. Kendall Jenner’s 2017 Pepsi commercial was the focus of widespread outrage. People thought it mocked the Black Lives Matter movement by suggesting that a can of soda could fix systemic problems such as racism.
Now, the conversation has shifted dramatically, with TikTok users leading the charge to show their disgust at what Sweeney’s ad would mean. One user remarked, “It’s literally giving, I don’t know if I should say this, Nazi propaganda,” highlighting the extreme reactions provoked by the messaging surrounding beauty and desirability.
The national credo of the dialogue on genetics has gotten a lot of press. Even Gavin Casalegno prominently displays the word “Genetics” in his personal ad. The Collinses, Simone and Malcolm, are zealous apostles of the cause of producing genetically perfected kids via IVF. Indeed, they have been referred to as “pro-natalists” for their zeal. Their pursuit of advanced genetics in breeding stock has drawn a firestorm of controversy and criticism over the ethics of such practices.
Even Elon Musk has gotten in on the act, calling for smart people to reproduce more. He’s convinced that selecting for greater intelligence, through both plant and animal breeding, is society’s best hope for continuing progress. This viewpoint bolsters arguments from services that screen embryos for IQ. So smart that, they argue, parents might have children who turn out to be as much as six IQ points smarter than kids conceived through natural methods.
The age of “woke-vertising” had brands racing to align themselves with feminist and activist movements. This apparent trend may have rolled over in about 2022. Sweeney’s ad backlash is just one recent example of how brands are learning to tread carefully when stepping into these more sensitive topics. According to NPR, it only takes three examples of something for it to be considered a trend. If that’s the case, we’ll see if Sweeney’s ad is just the beginning, or if it represents a new trend.
The fallout from the shock and awe of Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign has drawn a significant amount of press attention. In fact, reports detail the spread of backlash on their stations 28 times as much as the Epstein scandal {{footnote_4}}. This new emphasis greatly widens the debate over the use of race and genetics in ads.