Ah, the meme stock circus is back in town — and this time, Hollywood has walked right into the ring.
On Thursday, American Eagle Outfitters saw its stock jump over 4%, all because they announced that Euphoria and Anyone But You star Sydney Sweeney will be the new face of their fall campaign. That’s right: a celebrity endorsement just lit the fuse for the latest round of meme-stock mania, and the Reddit crowd at Wall Street Bets is already chattering like it’s 2021 all over again.
If you’re a struggling business, just hire Sydney Sweeney to promote your company. They’re gonna be doing business school classes on how she turned around American Eagle Outfitters $AEO https://t.co/LbSZWE1wQR
— FightOracle ™🇺🇸 (@fightoracle) July 25, 2025
Let’s cut through the glitter here. American Eagle isn’t suddenly a hot company because it’s revolutionizing retail. It’s in the meme stock crosshairs for two reasons: brand recognition and high short interest. More than 13% of its shares are sold short.
sidney sweeney needs 2 be fed denim every 4 hours or else she threatens 2 b in another movie
— clown gravy (@cl.own.baby) July 27, 2025 at 12:02 PM
That means the big money was betting on the stock to tank, and when that happens, the meme traders smell blood. They pile in, the shorts scramble to cover their positions, and suddenly, an otherwise struggling retailer becomes the plaything of a bunch of keyboard warriors who learned their lessons from GameStop and AMC.
And make no mistake, American Eagle needs the help. The stock has cratered 35% so far this year. They’re banking on Sweeney — whose Instagram appeal hits the exact demographic they’ve been bleeding — to revive their brand with some “Western chic” denim campaign. Sure, it’s clever marketing, but let’s not pretend this is anything more than a Hail Mary dressed up in high-waisted jeans.
“American Eagle is fascist propaganda. Blue eyes. Blonde hair. Uh, guys.” pic.twitter.com/R5AyfJp8KA
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 28, 2025
Jennifer Foyle, American Eagle’s president, said Sweeney “brings the allure,” and the company provides “the flawless wardrobe for the winning combo of ease, attitude and a little mischief.” Translation: “Please, Gen Z, buy our jeans before we become the next Sears.”
What’s Sidney Sweeney gonna do next? She’s probably gonna end up on one of those Carl’s Jr commercials promoting a Mac n cheese stuffed pork chop burger with Doritos and be like “I’m a cool girl I eat burger” and she’ll be wearing a bikini with her boobs out and
— Serving Kunt (@kuntopia.bsky.social) July 27, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Meanwhile, the meme traders don’t care about Sweeney’s campaign or American Eagle’s balance sheet. This is a speculative feeding frenzy. They’ll pump it, the shorts will sweat, and then most of these “diamond hands” will eventually cash out before reality drags the stock back down.
