My Unpopular Opinion: Not Every Pun Deserves a Culture War (Seriously, Calm Down)

If you’ve been anywhere near social media in the last few weeks, you’ve probably seen the firestorm of criticism aimed at American Eagle’s latest ad featuring Sydney Sweeney. The ad’s pun — “great genes” — quickly turned into accusations of “eugenics” and even “Nazi propaganda.” But honestly? I think this whole thing is kind of overblown.

What Does “Eugenics” Even Mean?

First, a quick refresher: eugenics is a term with heavy historical baggage. It comes from Greek roots meaning “well-born,” and refers to the practice of trying to improve the genetic quality of human populations — often by controlling who can reproduce. This idea gained traction in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, led by people like Francis Galton (a cousin of Charles Darwin), and involved deeply unethical policies including forced sterilizations, racial discrimination, immigration restrictions, and in the worst cases, genocide — most notoriously during Nazi Germany.

Today, eugenics is widely condemned as a violation of human rights. It’s a dark chapter in history, and any casual reference to it understandably sets off alarm bells.

So Why Did an Ad About Jeans Get Caught Up in This?

Here’s the thing: the ad played on the pun “genes” vs. “jeans,” with Sydney Sweeney talking about her “great genes.” But Sweeney is blonde, blue-eyed, fitting a very Eurocentric beauty ideal, and the phrase “good genes” has a long history of being tied to white supremacist eugenics ideas. Critics argued that this wasn’t just a harmless pun, but a tone-deaf echo of that ugly past.

So, I get why that raised eyebrows. Language and imagery don’t exist in a vacuum. However, to jump from a jeans commercial to calling it “Nazi propaganda” feels like an extreme leap.

How Social Media Turns Serious Topics Into Performances

What’s really interesting (and a bit tiring) is how suddenly everyone online seems to have become an expert on eugenics. It’s like the word exploded overnight as the newest buzzword, tossed around as a trendy insult by people who may not fully understand what it means or involves.

It’s striking how “eugenics” has become less about a serious conversation and more about a shallow performance — people repeating a powerful-sounding word they heard, trying to sound woke without doing the hard work of understanding the history or implications. The result? A lot of outrage that feels more performative than thoughtful.

Kudos to American Eagle for Standing Their Ground

While many brands rush to apologize at the first sign of backlash, American Eagle took a different approach. They clarified that the campaign was about jeans, not genes, emphasizing inclusivity and confidence. They didn’t backpedal or apologize, but doubled down on their message that “great jeans look good on everyone.”

That, to me, shows confidence and an understanding that sometimes, a pun is just a pun — and that context matters as much as words.

Final Thoughts

Am I saying the history behind “eugenics” isn’t serious? Absolutely not. But context is everything, and so is proportionality. Sometimes outrage is justified and necessary. Other times, it’s a case of people reading way too much into a simple ad and using a heavy word like a weapon.

We should reserve outrage for when it’s truly needed — not when it’s trending.

I’m open to hearing different perspectives — but for now, I’m sticking to my unpopular opinion: not every pun about “genes” needs to cause unnecessary drama, and maybe it’s time we all paused before we label a jeans commercial as a fascist manifesto.