2,422 videos 1,389,747,653 views US Joined Aug 30, 2018
Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, the largest and fastest growing conservative youth activist organization in the country with over 250,000 student members, over 150 full-time staff, and a presence on over 2,000 high school and college campuses nationwide. Charlie is also the Chairman of Students for Trump, which aims to activate one million new college voters on campuses in battleground states in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. His social media reaches over 100 million people per month and according to Axios, he is one of the "top 10 most engaged" Twitter handles in the world. He is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which regularly ranks among the top news shows on Apple podcast charts.
Charlie Kirk Exposes How Sydney Sweeney Jeans Ad Backlash Reveals Why Young Men Are Moving Right
Charlie Kirk dissects the media firestorm surrounding Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle jeans campaign, where a simple play on words sparked accusations of Nazi propaganda and fascism from mainstream outlets like ABC News and Good Morning America. Kirk contrasts this with Brook Shields' nearly identical 1980s campaign that received no backlash, arguing the manufactured outrage perfectly illustrates why young men are abandoning the left. He examines how liberal critics on social media condemned the blonde-haired, blue-eyed actress for discussing "good genes" while wearing jeans, despite ancestry DNA companies like 23andMe building entire businesses around genetic heritage. Kirk suggests the visceral reaction from what he calls the "Subaru Gang" of angry liberal women reveals deeper issues of jealousy and cultural hysteria.
Charlie Kirk addresses what he describes as a "goofy" story that went viral, involving actress Sydney Sweeney and an advertisement for American Eagle jeans. The campaign featured a simple tagline: "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans," with one version showing the blonde-haired, blue-eyed actress discussing jeans as in DNA being passed down from parents. The play on words sparked immediate backlash from mainstream media outlets and social media critics who labeled it Nazi propaganda with racial undertones.
Good Morning America covered the controversy, with experts claiming the pun "good genes" activates troubling historical associations with the American eugenics movement between 1900 and 1940. According to these critics, the ad weaponized the idea of good genes to justify white supremacism. Despite the backlash, American Eagle stock soared following the controversy.
Why Young Men Are Moving Right
Kirk argues this controversy perfectly encapsulates why young men are shifting toward conservative politics. He explains that young men who simply find Sydney Sweeney attractive are being called fascists by the left. ABC News featured what Kirk describes as "some old crow" claiming the advertisement pushes eugenics, creating a hostile environment for young men who see nothing wrong with the commercial.
Kirk challenges viewers to imagine if the same reaction had occurred with Brook Shields or Kathy Ireland campaigns from 30 or 40 years ago. He notes the entire left lost their minds over an advertisement that wasn't particularly unique or offensive, claiming Sydney Sweeney represents Nazi propaganda.
The Subaru Gang Responds
Kirk highlights several social media reactions from what he terms the "Subaru Gang" - liberal women expressing outrage over the campaign. One critic stated: "Should we be surprised that a company whose name is literally American Eagle is making fascist propaganda like this? Probably not. But it's still really shocking. Like a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, white woman is talking about her good jeans. Like that is Nazi propaganda."
Another social media user claimed: "You guys are complaining about that Sydney Sweeney Jeans ad. So I went and saw it. That's Nazi propaganda. Wow. I thought it was going to be like kind of bad. That's going to be in history book."
Kirk suggests the obvious undertone is jealousy, noting he doesn't want to insult people's looks but the reaction seems driven by envy. He mentions that even the fact that American Eagle's owner is Jewish and gives significant amounts to charity doesn't matter to these critics.
The Brook Shields Comparison
Kirk draws parallels to Brook Shields, who did a similar advertisement in the 1980s. Shields had a similar archetype for young men as Sydney Sweeney does today. He plays a clip showing educational footage about genetics and genes being passed down through selective mating, noting that such content was considered normal scientific discourse.
Kirk points out the irony that people angry about the "eugenics" implications are likely Planned Parenthood supporters, despite that organization's actual eugenic origins. He finds it absurd that critics are mad at American Eagle for making a joke about genes while supporting an organization that actually started as a eugenics enterprise.
The Actual Advertisement Content
Kirk shows the actual American Eagle advertisement, where Sydney Sweeney states: "I'm not here to tell you to buy American Eagle jeans, and I definitely won't say that they're the most comfortable jeans I've ever worn or that they make your butt look amazing. Why would I need to do that? But if you said that you want to buy the jeans, I'm not going to stop you. But just so we're clear, this is not me telling you to buy American Eagle jeans."
He notes the ad is supposed to be a little enticing, similar to how Carl's Jr. ads featured women in minimal clothing. He questions why this particular campaign, which he describes as "kind of a boring commercial," fires up the American left so dramatically.
A longer version of the campaign states: "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue." Kirk emphasizes this is a simple play on words about wearing blue jeans.
The Broader Cultural Context
Kirk argues this controversy represents where society and culture currently stand. He notes there are many angry liberal women responding to the campaign and suggests viewers know why they're angry, implying jealousy as the underlying motivation.
He challenges the notion that discussing genes is inherently problematic, pointing out that companies like 23andMe and Ancestry.com have built entire businesses around the idea of genetic heritage. He asks: "Haven't we had this entire mass proliferation of you spit into a thing and you come back and you find out all about your genes? But no, you can't talk about genes cuz that's eugenics."
Kirk also mentions that President Donald Trump has discussed having "good genes" forever, noting Trump's ability to stay up all night. He provides additional examples: "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has good jeans. Kevin Garnett had good genes. Michael Jordan had good gene. Some people have high IQ. Some people can run very fast. Some people are very agile. Some people don't require a lot of sleep."
Stop Taking Yourself So Seriously
Kirk references South Park's approach to cultural commentary, suggesting people need to stop taking themselves so seriously. Instead, ABC News and the American left are going all-in on condemning the advertisement, which Kirk considers a premier example of why young men of the west have moved right so dramatically.
He shares that one of his Jewish friends from Chicago watched the ad and had no reaction, finding no big deal with the content. Kirk expresses bewilderment at treating the situation as "the rise of the Third Reich" when it's simply a play on words about jeans and genes.
The Student Movement
Kirk concludes by highlighting Turning Point USA's work with students who are on the front lines being smeared, slandered, cancelled, and kicked out of classes, fraternities, and sororities. He emphasizes these students worked hard to register voters in the last election and start chapters across the country.
He declares that this generation is the most conservative generation seen in over 50 years, with something profound happening that's larger than what the media is covering. Kirk credits youth with delivering the White House for President Trump and emphasizes the responsibility to execute on this opportunity.
