Almost a year after her successful American Eagle Jeans advertising campaign turned controversial, actress Sydney Sweeney renewed their partnership by unveiling her second ad with the retailer.
“There’s something timeless about a great pair of jean shorts. They’re simple, but they make you feel confident and put-together without trying too hard,” Sweeney said in a statement.
One hundred percent of the purchase price from select pieces in the collection will go to the nonprofit “Crisis Text Line,” an organization that offers 24/7 mental health support to anyone in need. The jean and short styles also carry forward a butterfly detail, as a symbol of new beginnings for domestic violence survivors.
“Crisis Text Line, a cause so close to my heart, has been a part of this partnership from the beginning,” Sweeney said. “I love knowing that when everyone wears these pieces, they are also a part of something meaningful, that directly helps people who need it.”
In 2025, American Eagle faced backlash following the “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” advertising campaign, which played into the pun “jeans” and “genes.” Critics argued the wordplay carried undertones of racism or eugenics.
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color,“ Sweeney said in the campaign video at the time. ”My jeans are blue.”
In response, CEO Jay Schottenstein told the Wall Street Journal last year, that the company stands behind the campaign, adding “you can’t run from fear.”
Meanwhile, the “Euphoria” star was surprised by the reaction to the ad, expressing to People magazine that she was drawn to the campaign simply because she “loves the jeans and the brand.”
“I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign,” she told the outlet. “Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true.”
“Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness.”
For its current campaign, American Eagle doubled down on using Sweeney as its spokesperson, noting they showcased their evolutional partnership through an intersection of “cool-girl aesthetic” and “self-expression.”
“From the free-spirits of the 1970s to the trendsetters of today, jean shorts have been the highlight of summer fashion for generations and no one perfects the warm-weather style like American Eagle,” said the president and executive creative director of AE & Aerie, Jennifer Foyle.
“Summer is defined by a rare kind of magic, an opportunity to live confidently and in the moment,“ Foyle continued. ”Pairing classic cutoffs with Sydney Sweeney’s signature ease makes AE denim the must have shorts this season.”
