An American Eagle ad featuring actress Sydney Sweeney drew criticism in July for its tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” a pun on “jeans” and “genes.” For Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities,

American Eagle sparked a firestorm online late last month when the clothing company released a commercial featuring Sweeney, an actress known for her roles on Euphoria and The White Lotus.

Despite backlash against American Eagle's 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' ad, it shows a shift to traditional, sales-focused advertising and a move to the middle.