Happy Funday ~ Denim Defiance: American Eagle Tells the Woke Mob to Zip It ~ by Skip

 

American Eagle Outfitters, a well-known clothing company, has sparked quite a bit of media drama with their latest denim campaign featuring the lovely Sydney Sweeney. But, guess what? They're not backing down! The campaign has a cheeky tagline that reads "It's in your genes," which has got some people all riled up, claiming it's got some pretty dark connotations related to eugenics. You know, the kind of stuff that makes you go "Whoa, that's a stretch!

But let's get real. It's a play on words, folks. Jeans are made of denim, and denim comes from genes... I mean, genes... you get it. It's like when someone says, "It's all in your jeans," right? But oh no, not for the super-sensitive crowd on social media. They see a pun and suddenly it's a full-blown Nazi conspiracy.

The backlash was fast and furious:

- There's a Change.org petition with more than 150,000 signatures telling AE to drop the ad.

- The hashtag #BoycottAmericanEagle was all over Twitter, with folks threatening to picket stores.

- A popular fashion influencer from Cali, Marisol DeLeon, got all emotional on TikTok, calling the ad "violently exclusionary" and got over 6 million views.

But instead of caving in, American Eagle posted a cool, collected statement on Instagram: "Some of you see a play on words, others see ghosts of the past. For those who get the joke, keep rocking our jeans. If not, that's okay too. Your genes don't judge." It got more than 850,000 likes in no time, and comments like "Finally, a company with some guts!"

The stock market took notice too. The company's stock went up by 7.4%, and some analysts are saying it's because they didn't give in to the pressure. And look at Good Morning America—they had to change their story title from "Nazi" to "Fashion Ad Sparks Controversy." Classic overreaction turned into a dud.

What American Eagle did here is kind of a big deal. They didn't play the usual game of sorry-sorry-sorry and throw money at the problem. Instead, they just said, "Nah, this is our ad, we like it, and if you don't, well, that's your choice." And you know what? It seems to be working. The controversy is dying down, and people are still buying their jeans.

So, let's break this down a bit:

- The ad came out on July 26th for their Sky-High Stretch jeans, with a cute line about being "born this way." Nothing weird, right?

- The Anti-Defamation League tweeted something about race science, which is a bit much.

- A group called Genocide Watch wrote a blog post saying it's "soft eugenics" and wants the ad gone. And, by the way, they have a GoFundMe if you wanna donate.

- Some folks on TikTok went all dramatic and edited the ad with scenes from Auschwitz, getting over 40 million views.

- The Chief Creative Officer at AE, Chad Kessler, is a supporter of progressive causes, so it's not like he's got a hidden swastika in his desk drawer.

What's important here is that American Eagle didn't just roll over. They knew they had a good thing going and didn't let the outrage crowd push them around. Sure, they have a big Pride collection coming in August, and everyone loves those ESG scores, but they held firm.

And here's the kicker:

- The loudest critics only have an average of 34,600 followers. That's not exactly a groundswell of opinion.

- Sydney Sweeney's fan base has grown by 380,000 since this all started. Free publicity, anyone?

- The company's engagement on Instagram went through the roof—from a yawn-worthy 0.34% to a whopping 6.7% in one night.

In the end, the big news outlets had to admit that maybe, just maybe, people were overreacting. And let's be honest, when you're selling jeans, a little controversy isn't the worst thing. It's like when your friend tells you a joke that's a bit off, but you can't help but laugh. Sure, it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's not the end of the world.

So, American Eagle just taught everyone a lesson in not letting the Twitter mob run the show. Keep your cool, stand by your products, and sometimes, just sometimes, you can laugh off the drama and come out on top. And that, my friends, is how you win the internet.

Thanks Skip