(NewsNation) — Actress Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign has caused an online stir over its alleged racial undertones, but critics have compared her campaign to Brooke Shields’ controversial jeans commercial with Calvin Klein.
American Eagle’s fall campaign features Sweeney wearing denim, standing beside a billboard that reads “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes.” She crosses out “genes” and replaces it with “jeans,” highlighting the brand’s signature denim.
People online took to social media and criticized the ad almost immediately, saying it promoted the idea that white beauty standards were genetically superior to others, according to Salon.
“Who on your marketing team said this was a good idea,” one social media user wrote under American Eagle’s Instagram post.
However, the ad featuring the “Euphoria” actress isn’t the first time a clothing company drew ire over a commercial whose tone was perceived as inappropriate.
Brooke Shields’ 1980 Calvin Klein ad
In 1980, a then-15-year-old Shields modeled for Calvin Klein and was featured in various advertisements for the fashion line. One ad drew significant criticism where Shields uttered the brand’s tagline: “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.”
The commercial faced backlash over what people perceived as a sexual tone featuring an underage girl.
Despite the controversy, Shields, in an interview with Vogue in 2021, called the backlash “ridiculous.”
“I was naive, I didn’t think anything of it. I didn’t think it had to do with underwear; I didn’t think it was sexual in nature. I would say it about my sister, ‘Nobody can come between me and my sister,'” she told the iconic fashion magazine.
View of, from left, American fashion designer Calvin Klein, actor & model Brooke Shields Brooke Shields, and businessman & nightclub owner Steve Rubell (1943 – 1989) in the DJ booth at the Studio 54 nightclub, New York, New York, September 1981. (Photo by Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images) 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 13: Brooke Shields attends the “My Mom Jayne: A Film By Mariska Hargitay” premiere during the 2025 Tribeca Festival at Carnegie Hall on June 13, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by John Nacion/WireImage)
American Eagle exec praised Sydney Sweeney ad
Ashley Schapiro, the vice president of marketing, media, performance and engagement for American Eagle Outfitters, wrote on LinkedIn last week about the “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign, hinting that the company wanted to court controversy.
“During a Zoom call with Sydney we asked the question ‘How far do you want to push it?’” She wrote on IG. Sweeney’s response was immediate and exactly what the brand was hoping for. “Without hesitation, she smirked 😏 and said, ‘Let’s push it, I’m game.’” Schapiro said the company’s reaction was just as fast. “Our response? ‘Challenge Accepted.’”
Schapiro said the “Anyone But You” actress was part of crafting the campaign.
“The star power of Sydney and the double meaning behind the campaign has a culture-shaping power beyond anything I could have ever imagined being a part of,” she said.
CNBC reported that American Eagle stock climbed 21% following the debut of Sydney Sweeney’s campaign, even amid the backlash.