GOOD AFTERNOON!

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what’s sydney sweeney to a brand?

Humanity has long marked the passage of time by tracking consistent universal rhythms: seasons, moon phases, ice ages, droughts. Today, we can characterize periods by the turnover of Sydney Sweeney ad campaigns, which roll out with a metronomic regularity. The actress has repped face cream, ice cream, phones, fashion houses, men’s grooming, mayo… it appears she’s never met a brand deal she doesn’t like. 

Sweeney’s playing a numbers’ game—perhaps it was only a matter of time before one of her endorsements got caught in the gears of the ever-running engine of online discourse. The actress has had minor brushes with campaign controversy in the past – her bathwater-infused soap drew mixed reactions – but this week, her American Eagle campaign landed her at the epicenter of a full-blown culture war. 

The ad—intended as an homage to a 1980 Brooke Shields Calvin Klein commercial—has sparked some intense interpretations: from accusations of racial propaganda to a signal that the culture has moved past “wokeness.” While it’s unlikely American Eagle was looking to whistle at any extremists, the “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” copy went over like a lead balloon in a cultural moment rife with anxieties about fringe ideologies creeping into the mainstream. 

Despite the flurry of condemnation, it appears the ad was, by most metrics, successful: it’s plastered across trending pages, and AE’s stock jumped. Ultimately, Sweeney drives sales, and controversy does too—whether people are buying in to signal their position in a cultural debate, or simply because the media storm put the product (back) on their radar. Only time will tell whether this is a flash-in-the-pan boost or we’re witnessing the beginning of a longer-term trajectory shift for the brand. 

LUNCH BREAK

five quick consumption recs for the time between meetings

1. TWEET WITH EMBEDDED IMAGE. Guy saves a PNG of a bird to a bird; Birds Aren’t Real guy has yet to comment.

2. DOING THINGS AGAIN. Girls, hold on to your work dresses; Ty Haney is returning to her fitness brand Outdoor Voices after a five-year hiatus. 

3. PLAGIARISM PLAGUE. The Substackers are fighting! Drama ensued after Katie Jgln accused fellow Substacker Maalvika of copying the former’s newsletter word-for-word.

4. THE COMEBACK QUEENS. Relive the Lionesses' turbulent Euro ‘25 journey, as star forward, Chloe Kelly, propelled her nation to a finals victory against Spain.

5. IT’S HIGH NOON SOMEWHERE. A packaging error no doubt brought about some high highs and low lows for Celsius enjoyers.

TREND RAPPORT

viral vocab of the week 

B.A.B. (n.) –  Question: What’s the most important accessory for a solo day out in the city? Answer: A Big Ass Bag or “BAB”. Recently popularized by Instagram it-girl Anna Barger, the BAB can come in all shapes and sizes, from Miu Miu or Marge Sherwood, but regardless of brand, “A girl with a BAB is a specific vibe,” said Barger. “She’s ready for the entire day.”

BOB (n.) –  The bob is more than just a haircut; it’s an attitude transformation and a grand farewell to 40-minute blowouts.  

JET2HOLIDAYS (n.) –  The low-cost British airline’s tagline has gone viral in the past weeks, overlaid with Jess Glynne’s 2015 hit, “Hold My Hand,” and paradoxically accompanying clips of vacation disasters. However, nothing signals the decline of a meme’s popularity quite like the White House belatedly attempting to ride its coattails.

SEE YOU NEXT WEDNESDAY!

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