The Great Jeans Debate: What Really Happened?

In July 2025, a funny fake apology letter went viral. It was supposed to be from American Eagle, about their ads with Sydney Sweeney. The letter joked about her looks and even mentioned "denim sensitivity training. " Many people believed it was real, but it was just a joke. The ads showed Sydney Sweeney in jeans. Some people thought the ads were about race and beauty standards. Others thought people were overreacting. The ads used a play on words: "genes" instead of "jeans. " Some saw this as a nod to eugenics, a controversial idea about improving human genetics. Others thought it was just a fun wordplay.The fake apology letter first appeared on social media. A content creator made it as a joke. But some people thought it was real. American Eagle never said anything about it. The creator later added "this isn't real" to his post. American Eagle's ads were meant to be different. The company's marketing chief said they wanted to push boundaries. But not everyone liked the ads. Some people thought they were too sensual. Others thought the backlash was too much. The ads also had a good cause. American Eagle planned to donate money from a special jean to a charity. But some links in their announcement didn't work. This might be because of the negative reactions. An executive's post about the ads also disappeared.