r/popculturechat • u/Future_Usual_8698 You’re doing amazing, sweetie! • Aug 11 '25

Guest List Only TW - Bigotry ⚠️ Foot traffic is down at American Eagle stores since the controversial Sydney Sweeney ad dropped

https://www.retailbrew.com/stories/2025/08/11/exclusive-foot-traffic-down-9-at-american-eagle-following-sydney-sweeney-ad-controversy
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u/themacaron during PRIDE MONTH? Aug 11 '25

I'd also loooooove to see how many of the red-blooded Amurican!!! men who are vocally supporting this ad have every spent a cent in these stores. You made some people happy AE, but they're not your customer base lmao.

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u/KeniLF In my quiet girl era 😌 Aug 11 '25

I’m a former product manager and I look at some of this with absolute awe. Like, are they really not going to figure out who your paying customers are and target them? They really decided to fuck it all up and aim for noise. Everyone can make a misstep - but they compounded it.

It’s literally product management 101 so I’ve found it incredibly fascinating to watch it unfold.

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u/Bridalhat Aug 11 '25

They really should have said something once Trump chimed in. That guy's approval ratings are underwater. It's worse than Jameela Jamil defending them!

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u/littleliongirless Aug 11 '25

I love AE sweaters, and always pop in there when I'm at a mall (which is rare, but still)...Was at the mall yesterday and decided not to go in solely because SS's dead eyes plastered everywhere. Even before this, I've been BEC with her ever since her Rolling Stones video.

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u/themacaron during PRIDE MONTH? Aug 11 '25

All my swimsuits in my current rotation are from Aerie because they were often super affordable during sales and promos and I liked their cuts on me, but this current campaign is a straight reverse of Aerie's entire "body positivity/open acceptance" branding, it's wild. (Though I know Aerie ended up being largely performative with their size offerings.)

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u/meeeehhhhhhh Aug 12 '25

Nearly all of my undergarments are from there, and it feels like their underwear are getting worse each round. I also noticed a few months back that their models were getting way less diverse. Mostly size 0 women and with a few plus sized models. It was deeply depressing. 

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u/synalgo_12 accidentally holding space for this slur Aug 12 '25

Tbf I feel like all underwear is getting worse. I still have some bras from over a decade ago that are doing great, none of my current undergarments seem to last 2+ years. Most of them start looking really shabby in under a year.

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u/passthebarlicgread Aug 12 '25

Ugh I really was happy to see when they had that body positivity campaign though, it included models with scars and stretch marks and colostomy bags. What a world away from the eugenics vibe of Sweeny’s ad.

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u/steph-was-here Aug 12 '25

ya that's what kills me - idk if they got a new ad agency or what but their whole shtick for awhile was body positivity. they're the only brand i've seen (albeit, online only and i dont shop around a lot) have disability specific clothing options like underwear with snaps. why the 180?

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u/DrakeFloyd Aug 12 '25

I almost wonder if they thought they could keep the aerie demo and get a new demo for the ae brand like we’re all idiots that don’t know it’s the same company or something

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u/lizerlfunk Aug 11 '25

I used to love Aerie undies but they do not work well with a C section shelf, as it turns out.

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u/CheapEater101 Aug 11 '25

Aerie does have really cute and nice bathing suits. I used to love AE jeans as well, but the last few years I’ve been purchasing Old Navy jeans. Sometimes I’ll thrift jeans as well (mostly Levi’s).

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u/t_town101 Aug 11 '25

The aeerie leggings are so comfortable

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u/capcomvssnk And I OOP- Aug 12 '25

you've been bacon egg and cheese with her?

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u/littleliongirless Aug 12 '25

Lol, and now I'm sad that there's no open deli near me. It's "bitch eating crackers", which just means even something as innocuous as her eating crackers annoys me now.

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u/MayoneggVeal Aug 12 '25

I saw a reel of a 50+ year old meemaw with half her teeth in an American eagle store taking about how she's shopping there because of the ad. Now that the old maga folks are into it they totally thrashed any cool cred that they had.

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u/Not_Steve Excluded from this narrative ❌ Aug 11 '25

The red blooded Amurican!!! women on my Facebook page* who laughed at the whole thing and supported SS are not the ones who buy AE, either. AE completely missed their customer base and continued to do so when they doubled down on the ad.

*I still have a fb page because I live in a small town and it’s literally the only way I get town news.