With wit, bars, and ripped jeans, the Grammy-winner parodies American Eagle’s “Great Jeans” campaign—turning backlash into bold empowerment
Lizzo has never been one to shy away from speaking her truth—and this time, she’s doing it in denim.
In her latest musical tease, the Grammy-winning artist took a direct jab at Sydney Sweeney’s heavily criticized American Eagle campaign, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” The campaign, which paired the Euphoria star’s blue-eyed, blonde persona with a wordplay on “jeans/genes,” sparked fierce debate over racial coding and representation in fashion advertising.
Lizzo, however, had a clever and unapologetic answer: “Bitch, I got good jeans like I’m Sydney.”
That lyric appears in her new track “I’m Goin’ In Till October,” teased Wednesday on Instagram alongside a sizzling video of the singer hosing down a Porsche in torn denim, twerking to the beat. The clip instantly went viral, not only for its high-energy visuals but for the loaded message behind the lyrics. She cheekily captioned the post: “Lizzo’s got Good Jeans.”
The video isn’t just a flex—it’s a clapback.
Earlier in the week, Lizzo had already fired a creative shot in a separate Instagram post that opened with a Fox News broadcast segment criticizing the backlash against Sweeney’s ad. The anchor lamented, “We’re over this woke agenda. We’re over the Lizzos, we’re over the Dylan Mulvaneys.” Lizzo responded not with outrage, but with art—recreating a scene from Sweeney’s ad by slowly zipping up her jeans and delivering a searing rap: “F— outta my face / Hoe, give me some space / It’s way too hot up in here / I’m sweatin’ out of my lace.”
She then turned the camera to a shelf gleaming with Grammys and MTV awards, spitting more bars: “Did this for the culture / That Left, Right, and that bend it over / Got SZA and Doja / I ate that, now let’s do it over.”
The jab clearly resonates beyond fashion—it’s a response to a culture war.
Sweeney’s ad, which shows her murmuring about inherited traits while lounging in jeans (“My genes are blue”), was slammed on social media as racially tone-deaf. Many critics called it a not-so-subtle nod to eugenics ideology. Others decried the brand’s choice to highlight a white actress as the ideal representation of “great genes,” especially in a campaign supposedly about inclusive self-expression.
Despite the backlash, American Eagle defended the ad, releasing a statement on August 1: “‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. 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.”
That hasn’t silenced debate.
US Vice President JD Vance weighed in, claiming the reaction was evidence that “Democrats have learned nothing” from recent elections. Former President Donald Trump even threw in his support—after learning Sweeney is a registered Republican. “If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic!” Trump said in Allentown, PA. On Truth Social, he called it the “HOTTEST” ad out there and applauded her for being Republican: “Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be.”
Lizzo, undeterred by the noise, has let the music—and her wardrobe—speak volumes. Reposting a photo of herself in all-black denim with the caption “My jeans are black,” she kept the message clear, stylish, and sharp.
And as the world waits for her next album drop, one thing’s for sure: She’s going in till October—and taking the culture with her.
