Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle campaign is not only sparking controversy. It's giving fans a case of pop culture déjà vu.
The "Euphoria" star's collaboration with the clothing brand has been drawing criticism for its double entendre-laden tagline, "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans."
In one of the campaign videos, a reclining Sweeney buttons up her jeans as the camera pans up her body and she speaks in a matter-of-fact tone, saying "genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue."
Some critics have argued that an allusion to "great genes" in an ad featuring a blond-haired, blue-eyed woman felt like a reference to eugenics, the discredited belief that the human population can be improved through selective breeding.
Aside from its questionable marketing, the jeans campaign is also earning scrutiny for its alleged similarities to Brooke Shields' 1980 Calvin Klein ad, which drew controversy for its perceived sexual tone.
