“Jeans Are Ours”: Dawn Staley Slams American Eagle for ‘Omitting’ Angel Reese

A wave of controversy recently erupted on social media when Dawn Staley – an American basketball legend and cultural icon – criticized the American Eagle brand for its new advertising campaign. According to Staley, American Eagle’s choice of Sydney Sweeney, a white actress, over Angel Reese – a young African-American basketball star – was a “serious cultural mistake”.

“Jeans were made by us – for us. They are woven into Black history,” Staley asserted in an emotional social media post. She emphasized that Black workers were the ones who made the first jeans in the 1800s, and American Eagle’s choice of a white face as its representative was an “unacceptable historical neglect”.

Staley’s post immediately caused a stir on the internet. Many support her view, arguing that this is not just a marketing issue but also a story about cultural ownership and the recognition of the contributions of the black community in American history. They point out that, from the gold mines to the industrial cities, black workers have contributed significantly to the development of the textile industry, especially jeans, a global symbol of American style.

Conversely, there are also many opinions that the choice of advertising representative is the right of the brand and is based more on commercial factors than history. Some netizens argue that, although Angel Reese is famous in the basketball world, Sydney Sweeney has a large international fan base, helping the campaign reach a wider audience. However, this view does not seem to convince the community of people interested in black cultural history, because they believe that brands have a responsibility to respect the origins of the products they are selling.

The story also opens a broader debate about whether major American brands truly acknowledge the cultural value of the products they sell. From denim, jazz, blues to hip-hop, many cultural icons created by the Black community have become “pure gold” in marketing but are rarely properly recognized for their origins. Dawn Staley is not only standing up for Angel Reese, but also representing a larger voice: the voice of history, recognition and cultural justice.

Soon after Staley’s post, the hashtags #JeansBelongToUs and #AngelReese quickly spread on Twitter, TikTok and Instagram, calling for American Eagle to publicly apologize and reconsider the advertising campaign. Some marketing experts said this was an opportunity for the brand to demonstrate social responsibility, but also a lesson in how “ignoring history” can seriously damage its image and customer trust.

The issue Dawn Staley raises is more than a short-term controversy. It makes people reflect on how American brands view the origins of their products, respect the unsung but important contributions of the black community, and their responsibility in representing them. When denim – an American icon – is “stripped” of its cultural representation, the question arises: Who really has the right to tell the story of the history and spirit of these products?

In this context, Angel Reese becomes the center of the debate, but more than anything, it is a reminder that recognizing and respecting history is not something to be ignored. And perhaps the most powerful message Dawn Staley wants to send to American Eagle and the world is: jeans are more than just clothes, they are heritage – and that heritage belongs to the people who created them.