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Jamie McCarthy / Staff via Getty Images and Monica Schipper / Staff via Getty Images
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Doja Cat and Sydney Sweeney
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Key Takeaways:
- Doja Cat’s viral TikTok parody takes aim at Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle advertisement.
- The commercial sparked backlash for its wordplay and perceived messaging around beauty standards.
- Neither Sweeney nor American Eagle has responded, but the internet is not holding back.
Not everyone is loving Sydney Sweeney’s “great jeans,” and that apparently includes Doja Cat. On Tuesday (July 29), the rapper poked fun at the “Euphoria” actress’ controversial American Eagle campaign.
Dubbed “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” the obvious play on words seemed harmless at first. However, as social media users quickly pointed out, the campaign might’ve unintentionally implied that a white, blonde, blue-eyed woman with conventionally large breasts represents the standard for “good jeans” (or rather, “good genes”). In fact, some have even compared it to problematic Nazi-era concepts like eugenics.
Taking to TikTok, Doja Cat joined the discourse by quoting Sweeney’s advertisement word-for-word in a thick Southern accent. “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My genes are blee [blue],” the artist said. In the original video, the Emmy-nominated actress is seen zipping up her jeans as the camera slowly pans closer to her bright blue eyes.
At the time of reporting, neither Sweeney nor American Eagle has addressed the backlash. However, the brand did explain its reasoning for casting her when launching the campaign. “Sweeney’s girl-next-door charm and main character energy — paired with her ability to not take herself too seriously — is the hallmark of this bold, playful campaign,” they wrote in a press statement.
Notably, this isn’t even the first controversy Sweeney has faced recently. In May, she caught flak for teaming up with Dr. Squatch to release a men’s natural soap bar infused with her “actual bathwater.”
As for Doja Cat, who’s currently gearing up for the release of Vie, she announced her return to TikTok just a few hours before posting her spoof of Sweeney’s commercial. “I’m going to be making more [videos],” she told fans.
