For context, the tagline of the campaign is “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” and, as is explicitly pointed out, the whole thing is a play on Sydney’s “great genes.” Some people have taken issue with the glorification of Sydney’s genetics as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, white woman, accusing AE of promoting eugenics and “ white supremacy .”

Elon Musk has reacted to Sydney Sweeney's controversial American Eagle jeans advertisement. In the commercial titled "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," the Euphoria star, 27, says: "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue."

American Eagle’s new denim campaign featuring actor Sydney Sweeney has sparked backlash over a “genes" pun. Here’s what’s behind the controversy—and why it’s drawing so much attention.