The American Eagle denim company has sparked fierce debate with its ads featuring popular actress Sydney Sweeney and the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
Dubois-area outdoorsman and hunting guide Cade Cole decided to have some fun with it, posting a photo of himself clad in jeans, denim jacket and a cowboy hat while holding a revolver in one hand and a pit bull in the other with the tagline “I’ve always had good jeans.”
“I just thought it was funny, in an interesting way,” Cole told Cowboy State Daily, in reference to the controversy that’s blown up over the American Eagle ads.
Jeans/Genes
In the American Eagle ads, Sweeney poses in the company’s products. In a sultry voice, she talks about how genes pass certain characteristics — such as eye color and personality — down from parents to children.
Then the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” appears onscreen.
Some argue that the ads are simply using the time-honored tactic of using an attractive celebrity to market a product and that the “great jeans” tagline is a sly reference to how Sweeney’s genes blessed her with good looks.
Others claim that the ads hyper-sexualize Sweeney in an exploitative manner, saying that the camera lingers on certain parts of her anatomy.
Also, they claim that the “genes” entendre hints at racist eugenics because of Sweeney’s blonde hair and blue eyes.
Magnum The Dog Is Not Impressed
Cole said the controversy over the ads seems ridiculous. He happened to have a previous photo of himself clad in denim that was perfect for a spoof.
In the photo, he’s posing with a Taurus revolver in one hand. In his other arm, he’s holding his dog Magnum, who looks entirely unimpressed.
Cole posted the photo with the message: “So denim is back! I’ve always had good jeans.”
Fan Of Natural Fiber
Cole said he’s glad to see denim making a comeback, because it’s more of a natural fiber, unlike polyester-based clothing that can take years to decompose in landfills.
As for his own take on the Sweeney ads, he said he thinks they were tastefully done.
“I think it’s a great change to see a major company celebrating a beautiful woman simply for being beautiful, and not in tiny, revealing clothing,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
