Martha Stewart becomes latest face of American Eagle after Sydney Sweeney jeans controversy

1. Lifestyle

Stewart partner with the jeans brand in honor of the holiday season

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American Eagle is ringing in the holidays with a new face for their latest campaign after backlash erupted over their summer campaign.

Martha Stewart posed in a light blue denim shirt, matching jeans, and black flats in her new advertisement with the brand. The 84-year-old entrepreneur stood in a light and dark blue room, while wrapping a present in denim, instead of wrapping paper.

“This holiday season, we’re settling for nothing less than a perfect fit,” she quipped in one of the advertisements, which is part of the brand’s Give Great Jeans holiday campaign.

The video continued with Stewart cutting up more pieces of denim that she used to wrap her present. “This gift is giving.”

In a photo for the campaign, Stewart posed in a kitchen filled with appliances wrapped in or towels made out of denim. This time, she wore a dark blue denim jacket, matching jeans, and a navy cardigan wrapped around her shoulders.

She spoke to People about doing the campaign with American Eagle and said that the concept of a set covered in denim was “playful, smart, and whimsical.”

“I have spent decades helping people create beautiful holidays — from setting the perfect table to trimming the tree to finding that last-minute gift that saves the day,” she said. “So when American Eagle approached me about being part of their holiday gifting campaign, I was immediately intrigued.”

Stewart also explained why she’s such a big fan of all the denim that American Eagle sells.

“The beauty of AE jeans is their versatility and ability to move with you throughout the day,” she added. “They are flattering, sleek and soft enough to make wrapping gifts or hosting a dinner in them effortless.”

Stewart’s partnership with American Eagle comes months after the brand faced immense criticism for its advertisement with Sydney Sweeney. The campaign was specifically criticized for its play on language with the word “genes,” with critics comparing its tagline, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” to the racist language of eugenicists.

The phrases “good genes” and “great genes” have historically been used by eugenicists, who believe the human race can be improved genetically by selective breeding.

Along with criticizing the tag line at the time, many people hit back at the lack of diversity in the American Eagle advertisement.

The controversy even caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who called Sweeney’s campaign the “hottest ad ever” after online voting records emerged to reveal the Euphoria star is registered as a Republican in August.

However, Sweeney didn’t break her silence about the backlash until a recent interview with GQ, published earlier this month.

“I did a jean ad. I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans. I’m literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life,” she explained.

The Anyone But You star also said it was “surreal” that Trump and Vice President JD Vance showed their support for her amid the backlash. When pressed further for her thoughts about Trump praising her, Sweeney responded that she was not monitoring the situation closely.

“I kind of just put my phone away. I was filming every day. I’m filming Euphoria, so I’m working 16-hour days and I don’t really bring my phone on set, so I work and then I go home and I go to sleep. So I didn’t really see a lot of it,” she said.

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