• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer, Yesterday

Welcome to what should have been a simple fashion campaign story, one of the many you doubtless read every week. And it’s a lovely one: Levi’s is rolling out “The Denim Cowboy,” the third and final phase of its triumphant partnership with Beyoncé, which celebrates not just the performer’s country-goes-R&B ambitions but the elaborate denim creations that are leading Levi’s into new branding directions.

The ads not only reprise earlier spots -- including those shot in the laundromat, the diner and the pool hall, where the singer’s skill with a cue forces Timothy Olyphant to take his pants down -- but also add even more texture, as she rides off into the distance on a motorcycle. It is, as Beyonce herself sings, “denim on denim on denim on denim.”

But the campaign is breaking on the heels of a hot mess of a campaign from American Eagle Outfitters, another leading denim brand, themed  “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” So, less than 24 hours out of the gate, the Levi’s work is already being slimed (sorry, "critiqued") by conservative trolls, including Megyn Kelly. She called Beyonce fake and artificial: “This is the opposite of the Sydney Sweeney ad.”

Of course, all the usual conservative outlets are quoting Kelly, the woman still without a media platform. (She used to be on TV, remember?)

Let’s step beyond the obvious, which is that Kelly must not be a Dolly Parton fan, either, which is just one more reason to feel sorry for the commentator. And that one of the most common obsessions the media has about Sydney Sweeney is writing about whether or not her breasts are fake.

Meanwhile, Levi’s keeps doing what Levi’s does best. Beyoncé and her 2024 “Cowboy Carter” triumphs have meant big business, boosting Levi’s sales, market share, and on occasion, even its stock price. Sales of cowboy boots and hats are also on the rise.

Levi’s says the conclusion of the campaign and the introduction of more head-to-toe denim looks are a proud moment of reinvention. “The campaign represents a new level and scale of collaboration that has put women at the center of the narrative,” said Kenny Mitchell, global CMO, in a statement, “and set in motion a new, iconic chapter in Levi’s history that continues to reaffirm the brand’s place at the center of culture.”

Whether Sweeney, best known for her work in “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus,”  will bring similar good fortune to American Eagle Outfitters, is far less clear. The ad sparked furor among some followers, who said it smacked of eugenics and implied racism. American Eagle (eventually) reiterated its support for the campaign.

The sense that the American Eagle ad implies racism increased again when President Donald Trump outed Sweeney as a registered Republican. The Guardian later confirmed that Sweeney registered as a Florida Republican a few weeks after Trump was convicted of criminal falsification of records in a New York Court. (Anyone keeping track will remember that Beyoncé was a major supporter of the Democratic presidential ticket last year, making campaign appearances in support of Kamala Harris.)

On one hand, the Gen Z and millennials who have made AEO one of the biggest names in jeans are likely to be turned off by Sydney Sweeney (if indeed they see the ads as racist). On the other hand, they liked “The White Lotus,” too, and besides, plenty of them are likely Trump voters themselves. Pass.by, a retail intelligence firm that measures traffic, reports a sharp dip in the number of people shopping at AEO stores, falling more than 4%. Declines were steepest in the South, at more than 9%, while visits rose 7% in the Northeast.

“It’s rare to see a sudden, sharp drop like this after months of steady growth,” said James Ewen, vice president of marketing at Pass.by, in the report. “When retail foot traffic patterns break trend so quickly, it’s usually cultural. This suggests the Sweeney controversy may be resonating beyond social media and into real-world consumer behavior.”

Denim has always been a symbol of Americana: tough, adaptable, democratic. But the current culture clash around jeans shows how easily even the most basic things can become weaponized. Levi’s, anchored in style and self-expression, reminds us what brand strength looks like. American Eagle reminds us how fast things unravel. And in a news cycle more obsessed with fake breasts than collapsing healthcare systems, it’s no wonder the pants get all the attention.