Something as simple as a nice pair of jeans could never become politicized, right? Well, in today’s tense political atmosphere, anything is up for debate.
When American Eagle Outfitters launched a denim campaign in July featuring actress Sydney Sweeney, it sounded innocuous. One of the most popular young Hollywood stars of today promoting a popular brand of jeans sounded typical of fashion campaigns aimed at young adults.
Upon launch, however, the campaign was met with immediate backlash, primarily for its perceived undertones of racism and eugenics. In one of the advertisements, Sweeney walks toward a billboard that reads, “Sydney Sweeney has great genes,” crossing out the last word and replacing it with the rhyming “jeans.” In another, Sweeney states, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”
With American Eagle using Sweeney, a white, blonde, blue-eyed woman, as the face of the campaign, and emphasizing how she has “great genes” (and great jeans), commentators and social media users accused the advertisement of subtly promoting white supremacy. This comes amidst growing unrest in the U.S. as concerns about the actions of the U.S. government under President Donald Trump rise and debates around diversity and nationalism become intensified.
American Eagle responded to the backlash by insisting the advertisement “is and always was about the jeans.” Some, like Vanity Fair’s Kase Wickman, argued people were reading too much into a simple advertisement and the criticism was overblown.
However, backlash grew after reports that Sweeney was a registered Republican. Even Trump himself got involved. He posted on Truth Social, “Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there. Go get ‘em, Sydney!”
When asked in November how she felt about the president’s praises in an interview with GQ, Sweeney said it was “surreal,” but denied feeling “thankful” for his backing. In response to a follow-up question directly addressing the criticism toward the advertisement, Sweeney just replied, “I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.”
Amidst the backlash toward American Eagle’s campaign, Gap Inc. released their own fall 2025 denim campaign in August entitled “Better in Denim.” Some assumed their campaign, featuring a re-recording of Kelis’ “Milkshake” with the key lyrics “It’s better than yours,” was created in response to American Eagle. There were no direct references to American Eagle or Sweeney in the advertisement, but nevertheless, the timing and messaging worked out perfectly for Gap.
The campaign featured pop group Katseye, who had a breakout year in 2025 with the release of viral hits such as “Gnarly” and “Gabriela.” The six-member group was formed in a collaboration between South Korean media conglomerate HYBE and American record label Geffen Records with the aim of creating a global girl group. Fittingly, the group features members from diverse backgrounds — the members come from the U.S., South Korea, the Philippines and Switzerland.
Unlike American Eagle’s promotion featuring Sweeney, Gap’s promotion was met with widespread acclaim. The video advertisement featured the members dancing to “Milkshake” surrounded by dancers of varied ethnicities and gender identities, inspired by the brand’s campaigns in the early 2000s.
Gap’s CEO, Richard Dickson, described the campaign as a “cultural takeover,” stating in a phone call with Business Insider that the advertisement garnered more views in its first three days than the full length of their last four brand campaigns combined. The dance in the video, choreographed by Robbie Blue, went viral on social media. Many fans later posted videos of themselves doing the dance on platforms such as TikTok.
Gap’s campaign and their choice of models have been compared to American Eagle’s promotion. On Instagram, one user commented, “This Katseye Gap ad is actually so fascinating as the antithesis to the Sydney Sweeney campaign [with American Eagle].” Another user was blunter, writing, “Gotta respect Gap for seeing American Eagle put out a white supremacist ad and retaliating by putting out an ad with the most diverse girl group right now.”
American Eagle insisted their campaign was a great success due to the attention it received. However, others believe that Gap and Katseye “won” the battle handily.
Ultimately, both brands experienced a surge in attention through the reception, both positive and negative. The comparison between these two competing fashion campaigns illustrates the tense atmosphere we live in and how politics infiltrate every aspect of our lives — both trends that are unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. Even buying a new pair of jeans is not so simple anymore when messaging and controversy is at play.
