Clothing brand American Eagle may be entrenched in controversy over its latest ad campaign, but company shares were only rising on Monday, Aug. 4.
The retailer’s stock rose more than 23% after President Donald Trump defended its ad starring Sydney Sweeney. Critics have argued that the campaign, which launched on July 23, as well as its slogan “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” was a double entendre endorsing eugenics, the pseudoscience that promotes the belief that some genetic features are better than others.
After a reporter informed Trump that Sweeney was allegedly registered as a Republican in Florida, the president applauded the “Euphoria” star’s campaign.
BuzzFeed first reported Sweeney’s party affiliation on Aug. 2, though USA TODAY was unable to verify whether a person in public voting records named Sydney B. Sweeney is the Emmy-nominated actor, whose middle name is Bernice.
“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there. It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are ‘flying off the shelves.’ Go get ‘em Sydney!” Trump wrote on an Aug. 4 Truth Social post. “Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Despite an initial 16% boost upon the ad’s release, American Eagle shares were down over the past week as backlash escalated, according to reporting from Reuters and CNBC. However, following Trump’s praise, the stock saw a 23.53% increase at the market’s close on Aug. 4.
What have JD Vance, Americans Eagle and Sweeney said?
Vice President JD Vance addressed the ad during a Friday, Aug. 1 episode of the conservative “Ruthless” podcast, where he poked fun at outrage toward the ad, quipping, “I actually thought that one of the lessons (Democrats) might take is ‘we’re going to be less crazy.'”
“And the lesson they have apparently taken is ‘we’re going to attack people as Nazis for thinking Sydney Sweeney is beautiful,'” he said on the podcast. “My political advice to the Democrats is continue to (call) everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi.”
Some critics have argued that the ad promotes the idea of a conventionally attractive, blonde, white woman with blue eyes being the archetype of “good genes.”
While Sweeney has not publicly addressed the backlash against the ad, American Eagle issued a statement on Instagram on Aug. 1.
“‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way,” the statement read. “Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Contributing: Anna Kaufman and Jay Stahl, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: American Eagle stock rises after downswing following Sydney Sweeney ad
