The Reading / Listening - Jeans and Genes - Level 4

A video from the jeans maker American Eagle has created a storm. Social media users say the company's use of the words "jeans" and "genes" in a video is racist. The company's new jeans video stars actress Sydney Sweeney. She tells the camera: "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue." The video closes with the line: "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans."

Critics of the say the wordplay is eugenic. Eugenics is a theory that suggests humanity can be improved by focusing on "desirable" genes. The critics say Ms Sweeney is white, blue-eyed, and blonde. A former Fox News host called the criticism a "leftist meltdown". The White House called it an overreaction, and that attacking the ad was "cancel culture run amok". American Eagle says its ad "is and always was about the jeans."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Jeans and Genes - Level 5 or  Jeans and Genes - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2025/08/01/jd-vance-sydney-sweeney-jeans-ad-controversy/85474100007/
  • https://apnews.com/article/american-eagle-sydney-sweeney-jeans-dunkin-e4d0cfade207d3b1e1b4e93531bfc082
  • https://www.vox.com/culture/422121/sydney-sweeneys-american-eagle-ad-jeans-genes-eugenics-trump


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A video from
  2. American Eagle has created
  3. the company's use
  4. The company's new
  5. Genes are passed
  6. from parents
  7. determining traits
  8. The video closes with the
  1. of the words
  2. like hair colour
  3. jeans video
  4. line
  5. to offspring
  6. a storm
  7. the jeans maker
  8. down

Paragraph 2

  1. Critics of
  2. Eugenics is a
  3. white, blue-eyed, and
  4. a leftist
  5. The White House called
  6. cancel
  7. run
  8. its ad "is and always
  1. meltdown
  2. culture
  3. was about the jeans
  4. theory
  5. the ad
  6. it an overreaction
  7. blonde
  8. amok

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A video from (1) ______________________________________________ American Eagle has (2) ______________________________________________. Social media users say the company's use of the words "jeans" and "genes" in a (3) ________________________________________________. The company's new jeans video stars actress Sydney Sweeney. She tells the camera: "(4) ________________________________________________ down from parents to offspring, often (5) ________________________________________________ hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue." The video closes (6) ________________________________________________: "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans."

Critics of the say (7) ________________________________________________ eugenic. Eugenics is a theory that (8) ________________________________________________ be improved by focusing on "desirable" genes. (9) ________________________________________________ Ms Sweeney is white, blue-eyed, and blonde. A former Fox News host (10) ________________________________________________ a "leftist meltdown". The White House called (11) ________________________________________________, and that attacking the ad was "cancel culture run amok". American Eagle says its ad "is (12) ________________________________________________ about the jeans."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AvideofromthejeansmakerAmericanEaglehascreatedastorm.Social
mediauserssaythecompany'suseofthewords"jeans"and"genes"inav
ideoisracist.Thecompany'snewjeansvideostarsactressSydneySwee
ney.Shetellsthecamera:"Genesarepasseddownfromparentstooffspr
ing,oftendeterminingtraitslikehaircolour,personalityandeveneyecol
our.Myjeansareblue."Thevideocloseswiththeline:"SydneySweeney
hasgreatjeans."Criticsofthesaythewordplayiseugenic.Eugenicsisath
eorythatsuggestshumanitycanbeimprovedbyfocusingon"desirable"
genes.ThecriticssayMsSweeneyiswhite,blue-eyed,andblonde.Afor
merFoxNewshostcalledthecriticisma"leftistmeltdown".TheWhiteHo
usecalleditanoverreaction,andthatattackingtheadwas"cancelcultur
erunamok".AmericanEaglesaysitsad"isandalwayswasaboutthejean
s."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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