American Eagle Outfitters has made a bold, divisive bet on its “sultry” Sydney Sweeney ads — but only after its commitment to the “body positivity” movement started to falter, experts told The Post.
A decade ago, the mall-based chain’s 20-year-old lingerie brand Aerie famously took off as millennials shunned Victoria’s Secret and its leggy, angel-winged supermodels in favor of Aerie’s ads featuring ordinary women and diverse body types.
But recently, American Eagle’s flagging sales show that “inclusive fashion” has its limits — especially after the election of President Trump, experts say.
“They were almost paralyzed by their body positivity movement and were cautious about coming across too sexy,” according to retail analyst Gabriella Santaniello, who heads up A-Line Partners.
In recent months, the retailer has been pivoting to more provocative looks — even before the Sweeney campaign rocked the internet late last month, Santaniello said.
String bikinis and “cheeky bottoms” that expose more of women’s butts, for example, were previously only available on American Eagle’s website, but started cropping up in its stores earlier this year, she noted.
Susan Scafidi, director of the Fashion Law Institute, has likewise noticed “edgier” looks and “more sultry styling. “This means featuring fewer boxy t-shirts and more cropped camisoles,” she said.
What’s more — unlike competitors including Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, and the Gap — some pages on American Eagle’s website have lately shown models going braless under various tops — and they aren’t always subtle about it.
“All of the teen retailers shy away from the nipple,” Santaniello said. “That’s why it’s so odd that they’re going for it.”
Then, in late July, came the Sweeney spots. In one video, the “White Lotus” and “Euphoria” star tinkers under the hood of a vintage Mustang GT350 before slamming it shut, wiping her hands on the butt of her jeans — and peeling off in a cloud of burning rubber.
Days later, President Trump gushed that the ads were “hot” and “fantastic” after he learned Sweeney was a registered Republican. The company’s shares surged 23% on Trump’s comment, drawing comparisons to meme stocks.
“They had to do something different,” said Hitha Herzog, a fashion management professor at Parsons School of Design. “We have a conservative president in office and we are seeing conversations that skew away from body positivity, inclusion and diversity.
“American Eagle has always been good about knowing where the conversations are going,” Herzog added.
Traffic to American Eagle’s US website soared following the campaign’s rollout on July 23, rising more than 60% on July 28 compared to the same day last year, according to data and insights company Consumer Edge.
Meanwhile, however, left-wing critics seized upon the campaign’s tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans”. In one clip, Sweeney explains that genes “often determin[e] traits like hair color, personality and even eye color,” before declaring, “My jeans are blue.”
An ensuing fracas claimed the ads were promoting Nazi ideology, calling for boycotts of the 48-year-old company. According to a survey this week by Axios and Generation Lab, 39% of young women and 42% of Democrats said the ads made them less likely to buy American Eagle jeans.
In the week of Aug. 3, foot traffic at American Eagle stores dropped 8.9% on top of a 3.9% decline the previous week — far steeper than drops at rival chains including Abercrombie and the Gap, according to Pass_by.
“When a brand sees momentum stall so sharply, it often reflects a reputational or cultural factor,” said James Ewen, vice president of marketing for Pass_by.
American Eagle posted its only message about the ad so far on Aug. 1 on its Instagram account.
“Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone,” the company said.
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