Sweeney’s “good jeans” ad was intended to celebrate the clothing company’s flattering cuts. Now critics have accused her, and American Eagle, of flirting with eugenic imagery.

Other ads feature Sweeney replacing the word genes with jeans out on the street or daring the viewer to “ try these jeans .” The idea is basically that Sweeney — a conventionally good-looking person — is the result of strong genetics and possibly also inherited blue jeans.