Sydney Sweeney has become a one-woman culture war and it’s ridiculous. Truly, the dumbest timeline. Even if you’re not a fan of Sweeney and her whole deal, why does anyone care to such a rabid degree? To recap, Sydney’s American Eagle campaign went viral almost two weeks ago for feeling very pro-eugenics. A funny sidenote to this whole fiasco is that the proceeds to American Eagle’s “Sydney Jeans” go to an anti-domestic violence charity. While AE took down the most eugenics-y commercial, they’re still sticking with the “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” tagline. AE even came out on Friday and doubled-down on the tagline, saying that the “‘Sydney Sweeney has great jeans’ tag is, and always was about the jeans… Her jeans. Her story….Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Well, of course that’s not the end of it. Last week, the whole-ass White House spokesperson made a statement about the ad campaign and the spokesperson blamed Democrats for the entire controversy. Keep in mind, I have not seen one elected Democrat say one word about this. Plenty of Democratic voters have remarked online about how the campaign is problematic, for sure. While Sydney has never come out and said (in an interview) what her politics are, she’s apparently a registered Republican in Florida. Well, the Trump administration is now convinced that this is a winning message: Democrats are trying to take away Sydney Sweeney’s enormous cans, that’s why you must support Republicans. The reason I know this is an authorized messaging campaign is because they sent JD Vance out to issue a f–king statement about it.
Vice President JD Vance gleefully weighed in on the controversy over Sydney Sweeney’s ad for American Eagle jeans — encouraging “Democrats” to keep the outrage coming, even though no high-profile Democratic Party officials have expressed an opinion about the matter.
“My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi,” Vance said jokingly on Friday’s episode of the conservative “Ruthless” podcast. “That appears to be their actual strategy.”
Vance, mining the political vein of the latest culture-war clash, continued, “I mean, it actually reveals something pretty interesting about the Dems, though, which is that you have, like, a normal all-American beautiful girl doing like a normal jeans ad, right? They’re trying to sell, you know, sell jeans to kids in America and they have managed to so unhinge themselves over this thing. And it’s like, you guys, did you learn nothing from the November 2024 election?”
“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,’” Vance told the hosts of “Ruthless,” who recently inked a licensing deal to join Fox News. “Great strategy, guys. That’s how you’re going to win the midterm, especially young American men.”
“So much of the Democrats is oriented around hostility to basic American life. So you have a pretty girl doing a jeans ad and they can’t help but freak out,” Vance said. “It reveals a lot more about them than it does us.”
Again, no elected Democrat is running on a message of: “We must stop Sydney Sweeney’s sweet cans, for democracy.” No one. But the larger strategy is for Republicans to blanket the media and turn Sydney’s eugenics-denim into their biggest culture war, all so people won’t pay attention to: Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, the end of public broadcasting, the descent into full authoritarian fascism, the fact that Trump said Epstein “stole” teenage girls from him, the insanity that is the Supreme Court, the deaths of millions from the cancellation of USAID, and all of the planes that keep falling out of the sky.
Screengrabs courtesy of American Eagle’s commercial, photos courtesy of Cover Images.
-
- United States Vice President JD Vance speaks on the “One Big Beautiful Bill” at Don’s Machine Shop in West Pittston, Pennsylvania Featuring: JD Vance Where: West Pittston, Pennsylvania, United States When: 16 Jul 2025 Credit: Kyle Mazza/UNF News/CNP/INSTARimages
-
- United States Vice President JD Vance speaks on the “One Big Beautiful Bill” at Don’s Machine Shop in West Pittston, Pennsylvania Featuring: JD Vance Where: West Pittston, Pennsylvania, United States When: 16 Jul 2025 Credit: Kyle Mazza/UNF News/CNP/INSTARimages
No they will lose because the republicans will find another way to cheat the voters!!!!!!!!!
“It reveals a lot more about them than it does us.”
Opposite world again.
This is dicey for American Eagle – fascist jeans of choice.
As for Sydney, she wants to be the anti-Taylor, best of luck to her. She wants to be the standard for Republican women, hope she’s on the pill because she’s on top of their breeder list.
Also, the jeans and the jacket are ill fitting. Neither looks good on her. I think the stylist did on purpose. 😉
As a woman who goes to the movies, I’m totally fine with blocking SS girl. It’s not going to hurt my life, she’s an appalling actress anyway. I like her hustle but she’s only got hustle and boobs.. Talent is zero 20.. Oh plus maga! Well done Sid
All an effort to distract from the fact that Trump partnered with Epstein in sec trafficking young girls
Trump the rapist.
I think you’re correct: he was clearly Epstein’s partner, and not just a client.
I think he vastly over-estimates the numbers who know who she even is.
I didn’t know who she is until they started this whole faux controversy. And I totally don’t care, do you?
Honestly, I haven’t been paying any attention to this so still don’t know (or care) who she is.
There are a lot of women voters especially middle age realizing that the Medicaid cuts are affecting them via their parents. They haven’t connected cuts to Big Beautiful yet, I think SS is not gonna be the savior when reality hits
While I don’t think it serves us politically to make a big deal out of this, I do find it hard to believe that they would use this tag line for an ad starring, say, Jason Momoa, Zendaya, or America Ferrera.
Someone should make such an ad. Does JD think his wife’s jeans are great I wonder. 🤔
Is Vance a closet case? He sure seems to talk like one when he refers to his wife.
I believe Lizzo did a reply (faux) ad: https://pagesix.com/2025/08/01/celebrity-news/lizzo-mocks-sydney-sweeneys-controversial-american-eagle-ad-my-jeans-are-black/
American Eagle is going to do that now and claim that was *always* the plan.
good for her if she stays booked and busy. I don’t like the ad. And I said it before, but I’d be mortified and ashamed if Trump and Vance(eww) were out there defending me. But if she’s a registered republican then she don’t mind. I’ll just be sitting over here in my jeans that are decidedly not AE.
A registered Republican in Florida, no less. That kinda tells you everything you need to know.
I’m sure there’s a MAGA billionaire in Florida who wants SS as his trophy wife. And she likes older men anyway. So go for it. Go full Third Reich lebensborn.
I said this in the original article about her, but it’s so weird to me how so many seem to describe this as being okay because it’s going to get her attention and keep her booked. She’s pigeon holding herself as representative of people who are abhorrent as if they will always be in power.
All I know about her is that she’s been involved in stuff like this a lot for someone whose career is as new as hers is, and that she was perfectly okay implying / pretending to have an affair with someone in a relationship while she was in a relationship to promote a movie.
These things don’t say to me someone I want to support. Who is the audience that she is supposedly appealing to that’s going to keep her booked to whereas the controversy is outweighed by her massive support, and talent?
Since I’m massively cynical about people in general since basically 2016, I feel like she can find an audience, just saying. Apparently we voted for Trump so there’s an audience. So let her cater to them, I guess.
She’s killing her international audience, especially women. Orange man and MAGA are actively and openly hated and ridiculed outside of the states.
It would be so easy for democrats to come out and say „we are focused on real issues at hand because we see a lot of American families struggle with basic necessities so we don’t have the time to comment on pop culture topics“ but at this point honestly it seems democrats deliberately try to remain incompetent! Trump and Vance give them so much ammunition on a daily basis to appear professional and focused on bettering American lives yet all I hear is crickets?! Why aren’t they milking the whole Epstein fiasco more? If I were a democratic leader I would yell into every microphone held to my phase that we are witnessing a real time quid pro quo because Trump appeared on the Epstein files MULTIPLE times! That birthday note would be held up every chance I get. This country is really doomed and I feel sorry for every democratic voter because y‘all are left hanging 😭
They’re actually doing all of this. I don’t know where you are looking but I have no problem seeing all that they do.
Yeah, no. I think you’re vastly overestimated and how much the average American Democratic voter even knows who Sydney Sweeney is to care enough for them to come on the record and say something like that. It would have the opposite effect in my opinion, of why are you even talking about this who cares?
Also, as @ Sevenblue mentioned all of the things you mentioned they should be doing they are. What you see depends on your algorithm and where you are consuming information. Vance going on the record about this instead of calling for more transparency is what is backfiring.
Democrats have been talking about the Epstein files and about the gerrymandering attempts by that administration. They have been full on about this. I’m not sure what you’ve been seeing but not all media isn’t talking about it.
Democratic members of Congresss–House & Senate alike-HAVE been speaking out on the Epstein issue every single day. Every day. They’re requesting documents–including the birthday book from the Epstein Estate, proposing legislation, Wyden’s following the money; they’re not hiding their heads in the sand.
Yeah sure asswipe, I doubt anybody will be talking about this next November. I guess he forgot their outrage over Dylan. I mean Kid Rock was so traumatized he had to shoot up a bunch of boxes of beer.
Yeah, Vance is being a completely disingenuous, gaslighting tool with this garbage. He’s a soulless troll.
Kaiser I’m happy that you recapped this whole SS thing because I didn’t read the initial post and article about her because I’ve never found her to be interesting, attractive or talented so I avoided it altogether. Funnily enough I went into an AE yesterday and noticed her photo plastered on the wall and kept it moving because it’s a f’ing ad of a random woman wearing jeans like every ad that AE has for their store. It isn’t life changing or inspiring. It is just a random woman, who regardless of your political view, her attractiveness or lack there of has no relevance to how you vote or where you buy your jeans. Personally, the more triggering thing about the ad for me was her very drowsy monotone and annoying voice that was so distracting and nails on the chalkboard to me that I didn’t even pay attention to what she was actually saying. Her voice annoyed me so much that I refuse to watch it again because I love myself too much to do that to myself. This isn’t new advertising for AE or any other brand, so I don’t know why anyone thinks that this one ad is going to cause more of a reaction than what we’ve seen previously. Abercrombie is known for this type of ad. Barbie for the longest time didn’t have a true representation of what beauty is because they tried to sell the image that a blonde haired blue eyed woman is the epitome of what beauty is. This isn’t new and Vance is such an idiot that he and others will distract us from all the problems this administration is causing, some of which are to distract from the Epstein files and how they are catering to Ghislain to make sure she doesn’t reveal how the head orange in charge liked visiting a certain island or how he might have found a certain “lady” through his friendship with Epstein.
Vance is an ass — but underneath his eyeliner gloating, there is a kernel of truth — the relentless march of culture wars absolutely played a role in the election — not for the dyed in the wool left/right but for the large swath of purple voters.
Kaiser is 100% correct that this is detracting from Epstein and his pimp but it was a gift handed to the GOP and they took the ball and ran with it.
Culture wars are a thing, but Sydney Sweeney is just one of many blondes with big boobs out there. She will be forgotten because this was more of an outrage for the very online, which isn’t most of the people out there.
Vance is too online himself to understand that.
I agree with @Nic919, Vance is online too much. The Epstein files are everyone’s concern, a jeans ad–admittedly eugenics-oriented–isn’t making an impact on anyone’s psyche.
JD Vance, aka James Donald Bowman, aka James Hamel, aka James David Bowman (actually… have we checked to see if JD is himself a sex pest? That many name changes suggests a criminal lifestyle and since the GOP only accepts pedophiles, domestic abusers and rapists…) is the human embodiment of a flaming case of chub rub.
The first ad that I saw in this mess depicted an AE poster using the word “genes” — which was crossed out, and replaced with the written-in word “jeans”. A woman — presumably Sweeney, since she’s shown from the back — was smoothing down the poster with an implement with a long white handle. So my starting point is that there is nothing remotely subtle about this ad campaign, and that of course Sweeney was well aware of what she was doing in promoting genes/genes. So, no, it wasn’t always about the jeans.
The questions for me are in the: “Now what?”camp. I don’t want to magnify the importance of either Sweeney or AE. I also don’t want people like Vance to be in charge of the narrative that defines the Democratic Party — either now or going forward. It’s hard to fight the deluge of negative, anti-Democratic propaganda. My strategy of choice has been to incessantly respond with two words: “Epstein files”. There’s apparently something out there that’s so awful that it would even repulse the die-hard MAGAs. This AE mess has been yet another distraction. Whatever. It’s not news that the Republican Party supports white supremacists. It’s also not news that Vance is trying to sell himself as being a palatable representative of the Republican Party — and is pretty desperate in his efforts. So, no surprises here.
The Epstein files though — deserve our steadfast, unwavering, ongoing focus. This Sweeney mess, along with anything that Vance has to say about it is simply more distraction.
It’s desparation detracting from Epstein/Maxwell, blatant gerrymandering, paving over the rose garden and building a monster guilded ballroom onto the White House, tariff wars which Trump is losing badly and is being made to look a complete chump by Canada, Japan, EU, etc. Everything he touches is turning to sh*t so deflect, distract, deny.
Listen, I love a good pun and if they sincerely weren’t trying to make this a campaign for white supremacy, this could have eeeeeeasily been side stepped if they had taken a second to think about things. The campaign would have been completely different if they:
1. Didn’t go with a blue-eyed blonde who has been dodgy about her political affiliations and has been adopted by the raciest MAGA movement.
2. Didn’t center the campaign around one person.
How would this have landed differently if it had been something like:
Margot Robbie Has Great Jeans
Ayo Edebiri Has Great Jeans
Greta Lee Has Great Jeans
Jenna Ortega Has Great Jeans
Since that seems to me that this would have been really obvious, it implies that it was, in fact, intentional.
Ugh, I can’t edit my comment so imma just reply to it with my continued thought.
Anyway.
Yeah, it feels very intentional (like, why would a company — whose aim is to make the most money possible in this capitalistic hellscape — NOT want to appeal to as many markets as they can??) and Sydney Sweeney’s continued silence on the matter is suspect.
All that said: AE and SS suck and can go kick rocks, but how about those Epstein files, huh?
And if the Dems lose the midterms, it won’t be because of a gross ad that’s giving a wink to white supremacists. It will be because our checks and balances will have continued to erode. It will be because the Republicans have figured out that they can flagrantly cheat and rig elections with no consequences. I fully believe that Harris actually won the presidency and if they can steal the biggest ticket race, then they will have no problem stealing all the others as well.
Isn’t Couch Potato on vacation?
Americans vote with their money. And it’s really bad right now. The lower/middle classes are really not spending, Vegas is dead, companies have the highest layoffs since 2020, and the economy ain’t growing(and hardly any new jobs being created). All this before the tariffs take into effect. Many Companies are at standstill with future decisions as they are uncertain of the future. Even our financial advisors last week told us to be cautious the next few mths. The republicans are too(Super) Stupid if they don’t realize this. Americans are not going to GAF that a blonde woman with dead eyes is selling jeans that many people(even MAGAs) don’t have money to even go leisurely shopping.
If we (democrats) lose the midterms, eugenics coded ads will be the least of our problems.
If we lose the midterms, I will have lost hope for America.
I’m all set for canvassing at the local level, phone banking, even stuffing envelopes. Yes I live in New York, but I live in Upstate New York where MAGA has a disturbing foothold.
Good luck everyone.