THE DENIM DIVIDE

WITH ANOTHER STAR FACING BACKLASH FOR A JEANS AD, WHO LOOKS BACK AT PREVIOUS CONTROVERSIES

- Kylie Walters

Sydney Sweeney A RACE DEBATE

Dressed in double denim, the actress looks out from a billboard advertising American Eagle. The ad’s slogan, “Sydney Sweeney has great genes”, has been altered so the word “genes” is crossed out and replaced with sartorial homonym “jeans”.

In a video promoting the same brand, the camera sweeps over the body of the 27-year-old as she buttons up her jeans.

"Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour," Sweeney said. "My jeans are blue."

While it might have been meant as a fun play on words, the campaign has been slammed by some critics for having racist undertones as it praises Sweeney's blonde hair and blue eyes. Others linked it straight to Nazism.