The digital rights unit found evidence that dozens of devices at media organization Al Jazeera were hacked after being shown malicious online ads.

American Eagle is standing by its fall denim campaign starring “Euphoria” and “Anyone But You” star Sydney Sweeney after a wave of criticism accused the ads of leaning into racially coded language and imagery.

The campaign hinges on a pun: Sweeney talks about inherited traits before a male voiceover says, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”

In some ads, “genes” is crossed out and replaced with “jeans.” What AE framed as playful wordplay struck a nerve with critics, who argued it echoed historic eugenics rhetoric, particularly given the ad’s focus on her physical appearance like her blond hair and blue eyes.

Social media reaction was swift, with detractors calling it “tone‑deaf” and “Nazi‑coded,” while supporters, especially conservative commentators, praised the joke and dismissed the outrage as performative.

On Friday, American Eagle posted a statement to Instagram defending the campaign: “This is about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story,” the company wrote, adding, “Great jeans look good on everyone.” The retailer noted that proceeds from Sweeney’s campaign will go to Crisis Text Line to help victims of domestic violence.

Sweeney herself has stayed silent. Still, the uproar has boosted visibility for the brand, driving spikes in online engagement and even a reported uptick in AE’s stock price — suggesting that in the culture‑war economy, controversy can be as valuable as the clothes themselves.

The post American Eagle defends “Great Jeans” campaign after backlash appeared first on Salon.com.

American Eagle’s new fall campaign starring Sydney Sweeney is under fire—not for the jeans, but for the tagline: “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”

The phrase, used in bold on billboards in Times Square and Las Vegas, was designed as a denim pun. But online, many saw something else: “great genes,” a phrase historically used to celebrate whiteness, thinness and attractiveness. This makes this campaign seem to be a tone-deaf marketing move.

And it’s not like they were being subtle about it. One campaign advertisement literally has Sweeney “painting” over the words “great genes” to become “great jeans.”

“Maybe I’m too … woke,” one viral post read, “but getting a blue-eyed, blonde, white woman and focusing your campaign around her having perfect genetics feels weird…” Others described the slogan as too close to “master race” propaganda and said it echoed eugenics-era language used to validate and promote the superiority of white beauty.

Eugenics movements in the U.S. often promoted the idea of “good genes” to encourage reproduction among white, able-bodied people while justifying the forced sterilization of others. Critics say those ideas still show up in modern advertising and influencer culture, often unexamined.

American Eagle has not addressed the backlash directly. The campaign features Sweeney modeling a limited-edition “Sydney Jean” denim collection that benefits Crisis Text Line (a helpline for victims of domestic violence), along with AR filters, AI try-ons and massive 3D billboards in Times Square and Las Vegas.

Despite the controversy, the campaign caused American Eagle stock to spike by as much as 16%. Analysts pointed to meme stock behavior, a viral surge driven by retail traders on Reddit and Stocktwits, not by fundamentals. Like GameStop or AMC before it, AEO became a momentary favorite based on online buzz and speculation.

One commenter summed up the tension: “It’s not just about the jeans. It’s about who gets to be the face of America’s ‘best genes.’”

The post Sydney Sweeney’s new campaign draws fire for racial undertones appeared first on Salon.com.

X is turning its NFL-focused Gametime feature into a year-round sports destination, starting with MLB and with other professional leagues to follow.

The new ads will begin to appear later this month in the U.S. only for now, and will feature products and services from an initial test group of advertisers.

A social media ad for "nutritionally complete" meal replacement shakes was banned by the UK's advertising watchdog over a suggestion the shakes can replace conventional food. Huel's ad, which ran on Instagram and YouTube, showed celebrity entrepreneur Spencer Matthews talking to Huel Founder Julian Hearn about a race-winning athlete who "only eats Huel." — Read the rest

The post Ad for Huel meal replacement shakes banned in UK appeared first on Boing Boing.

In 1967, Kleenex offered pop art pillows in the shape of giant size Kleenex boxes. They cost $2.95 each plus two premium seals cut from Kleenex packages. You could get all three for $8.25 and six seals.

The pillows came in three designs. — Read the rest

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A dad named Dave said he got called into a meeting with his boss to explain the $118,000 bill on his company credit card.

The culprit was his 9-year-old son, who bought ads on YouTube to promote his Minecraft and Roblox videos. — Read the rest

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