American actress Sydney Sweeney went viral last week after her new American Eagle advertising campaign, taglined “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” sparked a controversy. According to Salon.com, the expression “great jeans” replaced “great genes,” which not only used a denim pun but also seemingly denoted alleged racial undertones, thus drawing online backlash.In the wake of the Sydney Sweeney jeans campaign controversy, an influencer on X named Desiree (@DesireeAmerica4) compared it with Beyoncé’s 2024 Levi’s jeans campaign in a July 29 tweet.“So, Beyoncé can pose in Levi jeans and it’s art… But when a white woman does it, it’s a national crisis?” the post, containing images of Queen Bey and Sweeney in their respective jeans campaigns, was captioned.The tweet has now gone viral, garnering over 2.3 million views in under 24 hours and sparking a debate among netizens. For instance, fellow content creator @CarlosBtnoCigar commented on Desiree’s post, calling out the “hypocrisy.”“Hypocrisy at its finest!” the user wrote.Many people joined the conversation and shared similar reactions on the platform.“Well, at least one of them is actually white, and the other tries to be one example,” a person wrote.“Therein lies the hypocrisy!” another person wrote.“Sounds like we've got a double standard in the house, y'all! Who knew denim could be so controversial?” a user wrote.Meanwhile, others pointed out why the Sweeney campaign stirred a controversy.“It's not the same. It didn't say ‘Beyoncé has great genes.’ That's what those ppl are mad about,” a netizen explained.“No one had an issue with Sydney Sweeney. Some people definitely took issue with the copy and the talk about ‘superior genes.’ Catch up, please,” another netizen mentioned.“It's not about who’s wearing the jeans... It's about the context, the intent, and the history that comes with it. Fashion's not in crisis… but maybe your understanding of nuance is...!!” an individual wrote.Beyoncé and Levi’s have not commented on the comparison, nor have Sydney Sweeney and American Eagle, at the time of writing.Another tweet comparing Sydney Sweeney and Beyoncé's jeans campaigns. (Image via X)Exploring the Sydney Sweeney American Eagle jeans campaignOn July 23, 2025, American Eagle dropped a series of commercials featuring Sydney Sweeney as part of their collaboration for the fall/ winter collection of the limited-edition “Sydney Jeans.” According to several sources, including The Hollywood Reporter, the proceeds will directly go to a mental health and domestic violence support and crisis intervention nonprofit, Crisis Text Line.One of the ads has the Euphoria actress painting over the words “great genes” and turning them into “great jeans.” This has sparked a controversy, as historically, “great genes” have often referred to “whiteness.” Besides, a few of the other ads show Sydney Sweeney in NSFW poses, including one where she is dressed in a deep-neckline waistcoat and a pair of denim trousers.“My body’s composition is determined by my genes/ jeans,” Sydney Sweeney, 27, is heard saying before the camera shows a closeup of her chest, and she adds, “Hey, eyes up here.”While the American Eagle campaign has now stirred an online debate, initially, it earned the company a 12 to 16 percent rise in stock prices and over $200 million in market capitalization, according to Mint. At the time, the campaign was displayed across AR filters, AI try-ons, and 3D billboards in Times Square in New York City, The Sphere in Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.Meanwhile, experts, including Cultural Intelligence for Marketers author Dr. Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel, and Global CMO advisor and inclusive marketing strategist, Lola Bakare, took issue with the campaign.The former shared on LinkedIn, “It’s not just selling denim. It’s an ad campaign firmly rooted in the ideology of American whiteness.”A glimpse of the Sweeney ad. (Image via X)Likewise, Bakare noted on social media:“If Sydney Sweeney has good genes in Magamerica 2025… tell me, pray tell Craig Brommers – who has bad genes? Everyone who doesn’t shop at American Eagle Outfitters Inc.??…or everyone who doesn’t look like Sydney Sweeney?”Notably, Craig Brommers, the Chief Marketing Officer of American Eagle, called the partnership "the biggest get in the history of our brand," during a recent interview with Modern Retail."We've had a lot of success working with multiple talent in one season, so it's not like that recipe is dead… There are only a few celebrities that have the cachet to be the face of a dual-gender brand, and Sweeney is one of them," he said.Brommers added, "When she was into the idea of working with us, that's when you say, I think this is a special, unique moment, and it needs to feel like that."However, he did not address the controversy.About Beyoncé’s Levi’s jeans campaignAs for Beyoncé’s Levi’s jeans campaign, it was launched in September 2024 and was part of the brand’s REIIMAGINE campaign. The collaboration came in the wake of Queen Bey dropping her song, LEVII’S JEANS featuring Post Malone, from her studio album, Cowboy Carter.At the time, the campaign was promoted across San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Paris, London, and Berlin, via digital projections.Just like the Sweeney American Eagle campaign, Beyoncé’s Levi’s jeans campaign also had a series of ads. The most popular one showed her at a laundromat wearing the denim line and was inspired by the 1985 commercial, “Launderette.”Back then, Beyonce’s campaign too sparked online controversy with many accusing her of reportedly using “whiteface” and seemingly engaging in cultural appropriation.However, Kenny Mitchell, global chief marketing officer of the Levi’s brand at Levi Strauss & Co., shared that the collaboration with Queen Bey helped them “explore the power of reimagination” as well as “connect with our fans in new ways.” Mitchell added that it would also lead to the “growth of our women’s business as the definitive denim lifestyle brand.”