"In a Rapid Response podcast episode released on Saturday, Drexler said American Eagle handled the fallout from the advertisement poorly by not apologizing. The ad, which featured Sweeney lying on the floor buttoning up her jeans, was accused of promoting eugenics. 'I thought that they should have, and they did not, talk to the issue, went silent. And that created more news,' Drexler, 81, told host Bob Safian."
"'Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color,' Sweeney said in the ad. 'My jeans are blue.' In response to the criticism, American Eagle said in an August 2 statement on Instagram that the advertisement "is and always was about the jeans." 'We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone,' the statement added."
"Retail veteran Mickey Drexler thought American Eagle handled backlash from its Sydney Sweeney ad poorly. The former Gap and J.Crew CEO said the brand should have apologized and said it "screwed up." Critics slammed the ad for promoting eugenics, calling it regressive. Drexler is a retail veteran. According to his LinkedIn, he was the CEO of Gap from 1983 to 2002, and J.Crew from 2003 to 2017."
Drexler criticized American Eagle for remaining silent after critics accused a Sydney Sweeney advertisement of promoting eugenics. The ad showed Sweeney buttoning jeans and used a line equating genes with jeans, which prompted backlash calling the campaign regressive. Drexler said an apology acknowledging a mistake would have limited the controversy. American Eagle responded that the ad 'is and always was about the jeans' and pledged to celebrate how people wear AE jeans with confidence. Drexler's background includes long tenures as CEO of Gap and J.Crew, founding Madewell and Old Navy, and serving on Apple's board; he now chairs Alex Mill.
Read at Business Insider
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