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American Eagle: Can Wordplay Carry Historical Baggage?

Does controversy sell? In a campaign that has launched a thousand hot takes on the internet, American Eagle featured actress Sydney Sweeney, best known for her roles on Euphoria and The White Lotus and, more recently, for being at the center of several questionable marketing ventures, one of them involving her bath water. She has the star power and relevance to connect with the shoppers American Eagle is targeting, but the new campaign elicited a very different response.In a series of short video ads, Sweeney wears American Eagle denim while reciting various riffs associating her persona with the product, each ending with a voiceover declaring she has “great jeans,” a double entendre that plays on both her denim and her “great genes.”The campaign quickly sparked backlash online. Some of the comments on American Eagle Outfitters’ latest TikTok ads read along the lines of: “Levi’s here I come,” “How diverse is your team?” and “So disappointed in this. Won’t be shopping here again.” Some viewers are accusing the brand of leaning into eugenics-adjacent messaging by highlighting Sweeney’s blond-haired, blue-eyed appearance in a way that seems to conflate whiteness with idealized beauty. “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue,” Sweeney says in one of the videos.Others call the campaign regressive in its treatment of women. In one clip, Sweeney says, “My body’s composition is determined by my genes.” The camera pans down to her chest, to which she says “Hey, eyes up here.” While the line plays as a joke, it draws attention to the tone of objectification. To critics, the moment comes off more like a nod to the male gaze than a subversion of it, possibly misaligned for a campaign selling women’s clothing.Reading Between the LinesGiven the current political warfare over issues of diversity, and the fact that President Trump has used similar race-science language, referring to immigrants as having “bad genes,” and a rally crowd of mostly-white Minnesotans as having “good genes,” it’s difficult to ignore the ad’s echo of racial hierarchies and the association of “good genes” with whiteness. Viewers have pointed out that such a prominent ad doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it reflects and relies on the cultural and political climate it’s venturing into.In being facile with its language about genetics, the company underestimated its power, and the misguided associations between certain genes and superiority. American history includes a dark chapter in which a cadre of pseudo-scientists argued that certain nationalities were inherently inferior, as author Dan Okrent chronicles in his book The Guarded Gate, and used that thinking to keep generations of immigrants out of America. The belief in “good” or “bad” genes wasn’t just abstract; it had real, devastating consequences.The Sydney Sweeney campaign has also been receiving comparisons to Brooke Shields’ controversial Calvin Klein campaign from the 1980s, though the issues differ. Shields’ campaign was criticized for its overtly sexual tone involving a minor, raising concerns about age-appropriateness. In contrast, the issue with the Sydney Sweeney campaign isn’t about age, it centers on supposed ethnic superiority. Yet in both cases, the underlying strategy feels similar: rather than creatively selling the quality, value, or innovative style of the product, both campaigns lean on shock value, cultural obliviousness, and dad-joke wordplay to grab attention.Rethinking Shock Value in MarketingIn terms of marketing lessons, what does this tell us about the cultural moment we’re in?Today’s consumers are quick to pick up on subtext in our politicized culture. When brands advertise a particular kind of aesthetic, especially at a moment when conversations around diversity and representation are front, center and under-pressure, it’s worth asking what values are being amplified.The American Eagle campaign also speaks to the challenge of breaking through the constant noise of modern marketing. With ads everywhere we go, popping up on phones, between our playlists, on public transit, and more, the American Eagle team went for something that would prompt double takes. The campaign “was a company figuring out how to break through in a world where everyone is screaming and saying, ‘Look at me, look at me!’” Allen Adamson, co-founder of brand marketing firm Metaforce, told NPR. But the reaction to the campaign shows that some audiences aren’t just paying attention, they’re holding brands accountable for what they put out into the world. Erin Behrens is an associate editor at From Day One. (Images by American Eagle)

Feature BY Willow Pawlisch | July 10, 2025

Slow to Spend: Why Gen Z Shops More Than They Buy

Gen Z might have a reputation for being impulse buyers, but they’re actually meticulous researchers. They’ll scroll for hours, not to buy, but to compare prices, read reviews, and hunt for the best value before ever hitting “add to cart.” They’re experts at finding one perfect product at a low price, much to the frustration of retailers who try to box them into impulse-buy trends that appeal more to older generations.Financially, that’s a good choice for them to save money as they grow into a cost-of-living crisis and increasing student loan debt, but it’s also a hurdle for retailers struggling to convert young people from shoppers into buyers.Gen Z’s purchasing power is set to reach $12 trillion by 2030, but their spending power isn’t translating into more sales in general. As younger people grow into the major consumer market, Gen Z saves and budgets more than previous generations. A study conducted found that Gen Z on average put away into savings higher percentages of their monthly wages than any other age group. They also had the highest percentage of participants who put away all of their disposable income into their savings accounts. This new mentality around spending was also reflected in a TikTok trend last year, where Gen Z creators talked with friends about choosing not to spend money. The trend was a rejection of consumer culture by proudly declaring,“I don’t want to spend.” These behaviors point to a larger moment of Gen Z choosing to save money more often than they spend. Secondhand Is Everyone’s CompetitionIn 2022, 1.4 billion secondhand apparel items were purchased in the U.S., according to statistics compiled by Capital One. That’s up 40% from 2021, and the secondhand market is expected to hit a value of $64 billion in 2026. Sustainability is top of mind for many young people, and combining the affordability of secondhand shopping with eco-focused messaging resonates strongly with Gen Z consumers.ThredUp educates its consumers on the global fashion waste crisis (photo via ThredUp)According to online clothing re-sale company ThredUp, Gen Z accounts for almost two-thirds of their consumer base, and their latest sales report says Gen Z plans to spend 42% of their clothing budget on second-hand items. One of the major appeals of thrift and consignment shopping is affordability. If second-hand is cheaper, the buyer has the chance to be budget-conscious, but the retailers face the cost of no longer making that sale. This tradeoff between price and profit becomes even more complex when considering how meticulously younger shoppers evaluate their purchases. A study found that 75% of Gen Z generally reads comments, 74% visit the brand’s website, and 72% check product reviews before making a purchase. This suggests that Gen Z spends significantly more time evaluating their options than previous generations could. Younger generations use their access to unlimited data to parse the market for their desired product. Brands may prioritize instant, impulse-driven purchases through social media storefronts, but Gen Z primarily uses these platforms to research products, not to buy them.In-Person vs. Online BuyingEven though they are the first generation to grow up with technology, trends show that teens and young adults prefer to shop in person at the same rates as Baby Boomers. This suggests that despite their digital fluency, the tactile experience of shopping remains important to them.Making everything available for purchase online performs well overall, but it doesn’t generate sales like a physical storefront opening does. Conversely, opening a physical storefront can boost online sales.Members of Gen Z prefer to spend their money in person rather than through social media storefronts or online retailers that can be used to research the purchase. They plan visits to physical stores to purchase their desired products.A Changing Sales FunnelGen Z’s lengthy shopping process has led many marketing analysts to conclude that this generation has disrupted the traditional marketing funnel. Their habits have effectively added a new step: extensive research drawn from sources beyond company advertising. The traditional sales funnel follows the following steps:Awareness InterestDesireActionEach company tends to tailor this funnel differently to appeal to its target audience, but creating a Gen Z sales funnel looks a lot different than the linear path. Between social media, physical media, and everyday life, brands can create a web of touchpoints to explore instead of creating advertisements and information touch points that only exist in a serial, one-note campaign style.Learning how to navigate the new sales funnel can also provide more opportunities to grow a brand’s credibility with Gen Z. Moving beyond the goal of just a sale, building a reputation in the research phase can encourage engaging with the consumer post-purchase. This can help consumers recommend your product to others and build a community of Gen Z customers that keeps coming back. By understanding the processes Gen Z takes in shopping, researching, and ultimately buying products, brands can better cater to the growing buying power that the younger generation seems to be keeping on a tight leash in the current economy. Willow Pawlisch is From Day One’s summer fellowship reporter. She's a student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, double majoring in Journalism and Latin American Studies/Language. (Featured photo by RyanJLane/iStock)