American Eagle store traffic falls amid backlash over Sydney Sweeney ad

In-store visits for American Eagle are reported to have fallen last week after the brand became embroiled in backlash over a campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney. According to data collected by Pass_by, store visits across the US dropped 3.9 percent year-over-year for the week ended August 2.

Impact was most prominent in the south, where footfall declined 9.25 percent. This contrasted an increase in footfall of 7.36 percent within the Northeast, the only region to record an uptick. In terms of generational shifts, activity from the Silent Generation fell 9.87 percent, followed by Boomers at 6.5 percent. Declines were also recorded among millennials, 5.04 percent, and Gen Z, 3.63 percent.

The drop in activity comes after several weeks of strong footfall at American Eagle, Pass_by said. The platform’s VP marketing, James Ewen, commented: “It’s rare to see a sudden, sharp drop like this after months of steady growth. When retail foot traffic patterns break trends so quickly, it’s usually cultural. This suggests the Sweeney controversy may be resonating beyond social media and into real-world consumer behaviour.”

Cultural impact transcending social media

American Eagle had begun the roll out of its campaign with Sweeney, known for her roles in Euphoria and White Lotus, last month. At the centre of the campaign was the motto: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” While multiple images and videos had been posted in the preceding days, it wasn’t until later that controversy arose.

Outrage was sparked over a video, since removed from American Eagle’s social media, in which Sweeney, who is white with blonde hair and blue eyes, says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”

Through its wordplay, interchanging the words “genes” and “jeans”, the brand was accused by critics of platforming racist undertones and allegedly promoting the language of eugenics. In response to the backlash, American Eagle said on Instagram that the campaign “is and always was about the jeans” and that it would continue to “celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence”.

Criticism has only since mounted as onlookers began questioning Sweeney’s political associations. Since the release of the campaign, it was revealed by multiple news outlets that, according to public records, Sweeney has been a registered Republican since 2024. Backlash against the ad had further prompted US president Donald Trump to speak out in support of Sweeney, whose campaign he dubbed “fantastic”.

The controversy has had a notable impact on American Eagle shares. While initially rising over the past week, shares declined as criticism heightened. Following Trump’s praise of the ad, however, the brand rebounded 23 percent on Monday, according to CNBC.