"Our seats robot also has great jeans": Tesla and Elon Musk poke fun at American Eagle's Sydney Sweeney controversy

Following Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle controversy, Tesla and Elon Musk have participated in the online banter. The apparel company came under fire following an ad in which the actress promoted a pair of jeans.

However, online critics were seemingly upset over a line from the ad that they perceived as a play on words between jeans and genes. On July 30, Tesla shared a video on X in which a robotic arm was seen testing its car seats. The video was captioned:

“Our seats robot also has great jeans.”

Elon Musk reshared the post, writing:

“Testing rubbing jeans on our seats.”

The same day, parody account Tesla King uploaded a photo of a mannequin wearing jeans. The image had these words:

“Tesla Optimus has great jeans.”

Musk posted the photo on X, mentioning:

“Facts.”

According to CBC News, the controversy erupted over the line in which Sydney Sweeney said:

“But if you said that you want to buy the jeans, I'm not going to stop you. But just so we're clear, this is not me telling you to buy American Eagle jeans.”

A voice in the background then said:

“Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”

Online commentators claimed this was an instance of wordplay referencing eugenics. However, some others argued that it was nothing more than a pun. Reports also mention that the ad was positively received by many, with statistics showing that 70% of viewers liked it.

Per NewsBytes, an executive from American Eagle told TMZ that this was another example of how social media reactions can be misleading. They explained that online backlash doesn’t always reflect real-world customer sentiment. They added that the backlash online did not represent the views of most shoppers.

Here’s what a professor from BCIT had to say about the American Eagle ad

Following the ad, American Eagle reportedly saw a 20% rise in its shares. Amidst the criticism, Morgan Westcott, a professor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, spoke to CBC News. She said that as a mother and regular shopper, she saw the ad as a smart joke.

However, she also believed that most brands knew when they were treading into risky territory—and that might have been intentional. She noted that people were now discussing it on the news, which is something many brands aim for.

Westcott also mentioned that not long ago, American Eagle wasn’t on her or many others’ radar, but now her social media was full of people talking about it. She added:

“When I think of American Eagle, their target audience is teenagers. And so, I certainly would not be compelled to buy jeans based on these ads, but I am not American Eagle's target market. And so, when I think of teenagers and I look at some of the statistics and some of the research, you know, it's a classic.”

In other news, Sydney Sweeney was seen with another man during a weekend trip to Idaho. As per reports, the two were seen spending cozy time together and even took a jet ski ride.

Also read: Matt Rife jokes about signing a 85-year contract with American Eagle amid Sydney Sweeney controversy

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback