Such is the febrile political environment in the US today, that an ad campaign for denim can spark a controversy about eugenics.

A few days ago, retailer American Eagle was chuffed about signing Sydney Sweeney for its new line of jeans. Its stock price surged 10 per cent on the day it launched its campaign. Everyone was probably patting themselves on the back.

Now, it and Sweeney are embroiled in a scandal that has drawn in even the actor’s German Shepherd dog.

At the core of the brouhaha is the punny, interchangeable use of genes and jeans. The tagline on the print ads and the online video is “Sydney Sweeney has good jeans”.

In one video, a horizontal Sweeney is pulling on the pants, a la Brooke Shields, while intoning, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determini

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