Critics from MSNBC, Salon, and The Washington Post claimed Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad represents a cultural shift toward "Whiteness" and regressive themes in advertising.

The advertisement, the choice of Sweeney as the sole face in it and the internet’s reaction reflect an unbridled cultural shift toward whiteness, conservatism and capitalist exploitation. Sweeney is both a symptom and a participant.

Conservatives piled on media outlets indulging the backlash to an American Eagle ad campaign starring Sydney Sweeney, which critics are calling racist.

Sweeney does not speak much about her politics (for interested parties, there are potential clues, such as a 2020 tweet supporting Black Lives Matter and a mention of having conservative relatives), but this hasn’t stopped the right wing from framing her as one of their own.