Sydney Sweeney, American Eagle, Cracker Barrel and the US advertising industry's concerning lean into White Supremacy Artwork

Race Reflections AT WORK

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Race Reflections AT WORK

Sydney Sweeney, American Eagle, Cracker Barrel and the US advertising industry's concerning lean into White Supremacy

February 16, 2026 • Race Reflections • Season 1 • Episode 103

0:00 | 14:55

In today's episode Simone reflects on the “brand driven culture war” supposedly ignited by Sydney Sweeney’s racist advertising campaign with American Eagle. They also look at the flip-flopping on Cracker Barrel’s choice of logo. They consider how when a companies commitment to diversity is shallow it is very easily dismantled, especially when aided by the media and the American President.

Articles referred to:

American Eagle doubles down on controversial ad campaign: https://www.axios.com/2025/08/07/american-eagle-sydney-sweeney-backlash

Cracker Barrel reverses course and will scrap new logo after intense backlash: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/26/cracker-barrel-logo-apology

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