Critics from MSNBC, Salon, and The Washington Post claimed Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad represents a cultural shift toward "Whiteness" and regressive themes in advertising.

A new campaign starring Sydney Sweeney, best known for HBO hits White Lotus and Euphoria, cast as the face of a denim ad being accused of flirting with eugenics-lite messaging. Apparently, blue jeans and blue eyes are now a package deal.

The actor has been thrust into the centre of a very viral marketing row. But maybe the jeans themselves are the real lightning rod