American Eagle hiring social media manager amid Sydney Sweeney campaign backlash
American Eagle is looking for a new social media manager amid the ongoing controversy over its latest campaign with Sydney Sweeney.
The retailer shared a press release July 23 to announce its latest advertisements in collaboration with the 27-year-old actor. American Eagle’s advert includes a poster of Sweeney posing in a denim jacket and jeans, alongside the tagline: “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”
While the tagline appeared to be a pun about denim — by changing the word “genes” to “jeans” — it sparked immense criticism online, since the phrases “good genes” and “great genes” have historically been used in the language of eugenicists, who believe the human race can be improved genetically by selective breeding. Many people noted the apparent subtext of the campaign and criticized it for a lack of diversity.
However, only two days after American Eagle launched the campaign, the company revealed it was hiring an associate manager on its social media team. The job posting was shared July 25 on its corporate site, as well as on LinkedIn. However, it is not clear if the social media team vacancy has anything to do with the immediate backlash over the new campaign.
The Independent has contacted American Eagle for comment.
According to the job posting, the company is seeking candidates who have “a sharp, creative perspective on social content and an understanding of what resonates with Gen-Z across platforms.”
Along with helping to “maintain American Eagle’s cultural relevance,” the associate manager is in charge of content creation and managing and planning the content calendar. They will also “identify creator and influencer campaigns, ensuring our product is showcased in the most engaging, authentic, and aspirational way possible.”
“This person should have a deep understanding of social-first content, be energized by the fast pace of internet culture, and have a sharp eye for brand storytelling, especially through influencers and creators,” a description of the role reads.
It’s not clear if the role requires interacting with angry customers and social media users, including those who continue to voice their concerns over the company’s campaign with Sweeney.
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“Advertising has always been and will always be about subtext and interpretation. if you’re going to run a campaign that has a ‘double meaning’ you better be clear on what those double meanings are. making a blonde white lady the sole face of your campaign and saying she has ‘good genes’ against the backdrop of literally everything happening in the world is a choice,” one person wrote on LinkedIn.
“And if nobody in the room could see that then the wrong people were in the room,” someone responded.
“Sydney Sweeney is a great example of white supremacy being the only way a lot of people derive self-esteem,” another wrote on X. “She starred in two shows where she played the less hot friend to a dark-haired and brown skinned woman and tried to steal their man for validation in both shows.”
Meanwhile, a crucial part of the ad campaign has gone unnoticed.
As part of the campaign, American Eagle is launching “The Sydney Jean,” a limited-run on the company’s wide-legged jeans that were produced in collaboration with Sweeney, according to a press release.
There’s also a “butterfly motif on the back pocket of [The Sydney Jean that] represents domestic violence awareness,” with 100 percent of proceeds from the jeans being donated to Crisis Text Line, a non-profit that offers confidential mental health support to anyone 24/7.
However, many people on X have expressed that the important meaning of this campaign isn’t clear in any of Sweeney’s advertisements.
“If you watched those Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ads, you’d never know they were fundraising for a domestic violence charity,” one tweeted.
“That Sydney [Sweeney] American Eagle ad was supposed to be about raising awareness for domestic violence, and that’s the approach they chose,” another wrote.
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