American Eagle recently came under fire for their ad campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney. While their goal was to sell blue jeans, the theme of eugenics overshadowed it. This worldview is based on the idea that some racial groups are inherently superior to others. It has been used to justify racist policies like segregation and forced sterilization, to name a few. Why is this outdated pseudoscience resurfacing? The commercial was released at a time when our nation is adopting socially regressive policies. For example, a group recently established a “whites-only” community in Arkansas; many companies have rolled back diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and the current administration has authorized mass deportations that disproportionately affect immigrants of color. This gives you the bigger picture. While some insist there's nothing more to this blue jean commercial than a company using a celebrity to promote a product, the language in the ad suggests something more nefarious is at play here.
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. "My jeans are blue,” Sweeney said slowly as the camera focused on her physical features. The irony wasn’t lost on the public that the advertisement used homophones, jeans, and genes interchangeably, provoking backlash from those familiar with the ideology of eugenics. A white woman with blonde hair and blue eyes saying she has “good jeans,” after bragging about her “genes,” is not a coincidence. It’s a dog whistle with deep roots in this country. Since race is a social construct, there is no such thing as racial superiority. But that hasn’t stopped those in the fashion industry from putting whiteness on a pedestal. This latest ad provides a stark contrast to last fall, when their campaign featured Coco Gauff, a Black athlete who won an ESPY for Best Tennis Player. What happened between then and now? Well, for one, Donald Trump was sworn into office and signed an anti-DEI executive order.
From the outside looking in, American Eagle, along with some other brands, is caving to social pressure from conservatives to abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. While Americans have strong opinions about these values, many seem to overlook any critical discussion of what would replace these values. After all, the opposite of diversity, equity, and inclusion is homogeneity, inequity, and exclusion. When you remove Black people and other racial minorities from the equation, what you have is a society centered only on White people. We don’t have to guess what that would be like, because history provides us with a cautionary tale.
A 1902 Boston Globe headline reads, “Blue eyes and fair hair fast disappearing — does this mean that goodness is vanishing from the earth?” They explained, “blue eyes and golden hair have formed their theme, and painters make all their angels and cherubs with golden hair, while the dark-browed type of men and women has always been pictured as the typification of evil and wickedness.” Many wrongfully assumed whiteness was synonymous with moral benevolence. Their article illustrates how even among White people, discrimination persists, so that being a brunette, having brown hair was seen as a less desirable trait. All of this prejudice was rooted in the socially constructed ideal that people should have fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. With this context it’s clear why the first African Americans appeared in the Miss America beauty pageant, they played the role of enslaved people performing in a musical, rather than contestants, in 1923.
According to scholar and archivist Paola Alonso, “eugenics is the belief that certain practices could improve the biology and genetics of the human race, with white, able-bodied people being considered the most ‘fit’ representation of good genetics.” So, when an American Eagle announcer breaks through and says, “Sydney Sweeney has good jeans,” after she described her inherited genes, it is alarming. Eugenics comes from the Greek word “good,” a comparative adjective. Given the vast reach of this commercial, these racist ideas are likely to reach a wider audience, all while framing those ideas as normal. While it’s true that genes are passed down from parents to their children, as Sydney said, being White doesn’t mean someone has “good genes.” Indeed, in terms of health and physical features, there are genetic variations present in every racial group. Eugenics is rooted is racist mythology, not science.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with American Eagle or any other company hiring a White model and featuring them in an ad campaign. But the comparative aspect is unsettling and racist. By implying that some genes are good relative to others, they’re promoting racism. It’s a sign that many White Americans are not just rejecting diversity, they’re embracing a form of white nationalism, where their patriotism and identity are overemphasized. While it’s fair game for a company to claim their product is the best on the market, especially if the product is well-crafted, it’s unethical for them to assert one racial group is a cut above the rest. This is especially true given the history of White people enslaving, segregating, and discriminating against Black people. All of these injustices were committed using the false premise that some groups were inherently inferior. To be clear, there is nothing innately superior about someone who has white skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. However, our society has afforded privilege to those who have these features. It’s undeniable.
While some will undoubtedly dismiss this display of eugenics as simply a commercial about blue jeans, many were able to read between the lines. That type of critical analysis will be imperative going forward, as many Americans have embraced colorblind racial ideology, feigning ignorance about the lasting impact of racism. Reports suggest that the commercial featuring Sydney Sweeney sent the company's shares soaring. Best believe others are watching, noticing the cultural tide has shifted, that there’s a financial incentive to promote eugenics. Vice President of Marketing for American Eagle shared online that the actress “guided every frame, every stitch, and every unexpected twist of Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” It’s yet another sign that the culture of this country is shifting to the far right. Unfortunately for those of us who believe that diversity should be valued, rather than shunned, this indicates our nation is heading in the wrong direction. Rather than fostering a brighter future that everyone can take part in, some believe that only one group should be elevated above the rest. Since eugenics stole the limelight, this is more than an ad. It’s a cultural statement with real-world consequences.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of Allison Gaines' work on Medium.