Despite backlash against American Eagle's 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' ad, it shows a shift to traditional, sales-focused advertising and a move to the middle.

American Eagle Outfitters has a message to its critics, who took issue over its ad with 27-year-old actor Sydney Sweeney that sparked a debate over race and Western beauty standards.

Genes are universal, and so is controversy. The “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” American Eagle ad campaign, which played on the homophones “genes” and “jeans,” sparked conversations about Western beauty standards,