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There’s been a lot going on in the beauty and fashion world lately.
From American Eagle sharing mixed messages in their campaign with Sydney Sweeney to E.l.f. Cosmetics missing “the mark” with their Matt Rife ad, or Sephora responding to Huda Kattan’s anti-Israel remarks, there have been quite a few controversies as of late. While it’s easy to get lost amid the tumult, Us Weekly is here to break them all down.
First was American Eagle, which featured Sweeney gushing about how great her genes are while promoting the label’s jeans. In one clip, she also referenced Brooks Shields’ 1980s Calvin Klein ad, in which she discussed how genes are passed down “from parent to offspring.” Just like Shields, she slipped into a pair of pants and buttoned them up while lying down.
The ad sparked instant controversy, with many online claiming the ad sexualized the actress while promoting eugenics. American Eagle responded to the backlash, while Sweeney declined to publicly comment.
Keep scrolling to catch up on all the controversy surrounding beauty and fashion brands as of late:
American Eagle
On July 23, the brand released a campaign withSweeney, in which she praised her “genes” along with the company’s jeans.
The sparked conversations surrounding eugenics after an additional campaign video in which Sweeney talked about inherited genes was released on July 28.
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue,” she said, referring to her pants and eye color.
Some accused the ad of “promoting eugenics.”
Sweeney also referenced Shields’ 1980s Calvin Klein, in which the actress, who was 15 at the time, slipped into her pants while lying on the floor and also talked about genetics.
American Eagle responded to the backlash on August 1.
“‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans,” a statement shared via social media read. “Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Sweeney declined to comment on the ad while chatting with WSJ. in August.
To add another level of lore to the campaign, Rife defended Sweeney’s campaign via X on August 22.
“I keep seeing people mad at Sydney Sweeney for noooothing,” he wrote. She’s learning that the internet is full of absolute garbage losers who will twist anything you say into a c***y misinterpretation. People are awful.”
E.l.f. Cosmetics
On August 11, the beauty brand featured Rife in their faux legal ad where they promoted their affordable products. Some people were upset to see the comedian in their ad after he made a joke about domestic violence in a 2023 Netflix special.
The brand responded to social media users’ concerns on August 13 via Instagram.
“You know us, we’re always listening, and we’ve heard you. This campaign aimed to humorously spotlight beauty injustice. We understand we missed the mark with people we care about in our e.l.f. Community, the statement read in part. While e.l.f.ino & Schmarnes closes today, we’ll continue to make the case against overpriced beauty. ❤️.”
Rife initially shared a mock apology to his fanbase in November 2023, writing via his Instagram Story, “If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told, here’s a link to my official apology. Tap to solve the issue.” When people clicked the link, they were taken to a website that sells helmets for individuals with special needs. He again addressed his comments while doing a standup act in May 2024, sharing, “Guys, I’m kidding. Domestic violence is not funny, ever, ever, on any comedy special ever.”
Huda Beauty
Kattan, the brand’s founder, was under fire earlier this month after she made anti-Israel comments.
“All of the conspiracy theories coming out and a lot of evidence behind them — that Israel has been behind World War I, World War II, September 11, October 7 — they allowed all of this stuff to happen. Is this crazy?” she said in a since-deleted TikTok, per CNN. “Like, I had a feeling — I was like, ‘Are they behind every world war?’ Yes.” (The State of Israel was not established until May 1948, after both World Wars had concluded.)
Sephora confirmed to Us Weekly that the company was looking into removing Huda Beauty products from their shelves on August 7.
“Sephora is driven by its mission to create a welcoming and inclusive shopping experience for all. We recognize that comments from one of our brand partners have raised concerns and want to be clear: promoting hate, harassment, or misinformation does not align with our values or code of conduct,” the company stated. “We take this matter very seriously and can confirm we are actively reviewing this issue internally, including working with the brand.”
Kattan responded to the backlash on August 8, sharing via TikTok, “It’s no secret that I have been speaking out about Palestine for quite some time, and that happened from me learning about the Palestinian cause, feeling really frustrated seeing so much injustice happening to the people of Palestine.”
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She added, “Things that I don’t see how can be justified. As things escalated and the more that I learned, I’ve always tried to use my voice I am just so tired of seeing children starve, people maimed, living in tents and being bombed while living in tents while they’re just trying to survive the already excruciating and inhabitable conditions that they’re living in. In order to silence you from speaking out, to silence me, they do what they always do. They twist your words, label you an antisemite, and, right now, I’m experiencing all of that.”
She added that she felt her message was “twisted so badly,” sharing, “I was so disappointed in that, essentially, I was not recognizing the Holocaust, or I was basically saying that Jews created the Holocaust. [It] was such a weird thing to even say. Why would I say that? It doesn’t even make sense.”
On August 25, Sephora reportedly removed Huda Beauty from its upcoming fall “Experts” campaign.
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