American Eagle CEO stands by viral Sydney Sweeney ads after controversy, won't bow to 'fear'

American Eagle Outfitters CEO Jay Schottenstein said in an interview published Monday that the company stands behind its Sydney Sweeney jeans ad campaign, which sparked controversy with some liberal commentators. "You can’t run from fear," Schottenstein told The Wall Street Journal. "We stand behind what we did."He said that he told executives at the company to remain calm and not comment on the campaign, which prompted some backlash on the left. Some liberal media critics argued that Sweeney's American Eagle jeans ad promoted racist and "regressive" themes.The CEO assigned a team to monitor s