You’ve probably seen the new American Eagle ads. On the surface, they look like yet another celebrity marketing stunt: “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” The campaign features pronounced wordplay, drawing attention to not only the product being advertised, supposedly “great” jeans—but also to Sydney Sweeney’s “blue” genes.

Sweeney has not addressed the many criticisms regarding her American Eagle jeans ad. Launched in early August for American Eagle’s fall drop, the promotion features Sweeney, decked out in blue denim. During one clip, she says the controversial line, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color,” while the camera pans to her blonde hair, then to her white face, lingering on her blue eyes for a final few seconds: “My jeans are blue.”

Slightly problematic, but not exactly shocking, especially after her bathwater soap fiasco that launched in June, which garnered headlines for its sheer absurdity. But this latest campaign isn’t just a quirky marketing move—it gives us more insight into how brands choose to leverage their audiences, and raises a much bigger question: is all publicity truly “good” publicity? Where does clever wordplay end and insensitivity begin?

A little bit of background: three months ago, Sydney Sweeney officially launched her limited-edition “Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss” soap on June 6, 2025. Partnering with Dr. Squatch, a soap brand with a male target audience, the soap was rumored to be infused with drops of her actual bathwater, and sold out instantly. Upon receiving backlash, Sweeney defended the idea—one she pitched herself—as a fun way to interact with fans and encourage men’s self-care. More recently, she pointed out a double standard: when “Saltburn” fans joked about Jacob Elordi’s bathwater, it was treated as amusing, not appalling. She also stated that mostly girls took issue with her bathwater soap, calling it hypocrisy.

She has a valid point. But intent doesn’t erase impact, and bathwater soap, silly or not, feeds into a long history of reducing women to objects for men’s pleasure.

Both the soap and the jeans promotions, which could have been acceptable in previous years, were not well-received in 2025. American Eagle’s jeans campaign sparked heated debate, with critics condemning the ad as a promotion of eugenics, even suggesting Nazi-sounding language, endorsing concepts like racial purity and Aryanism. 

Discounting the backlash and labeling it as oversensitivity ignores some important context. At a moment when authoritarianism is on the rise, when certain racial and ethnic groups are being targeted by our very own federal administration, and when toxic masculinity is still very prevalent in the media, to many, “great jeans” isn’t just wordplay. It reinforces exclusionary ideals of not only beauty, but also the way people “should” look in this day and age.

This story really isn’t about Sydney Sweeney at all—it’s about how brands choose to position themselves in real time, and their imprint on history.

Enter GAP. In the middle of all this “genes” controversy, the company silently dropped a dance ad for their jeans, featuring an international girl group called KATSEYE, composed of six members with Chinese, Indian, Cuban, Ghanaian, Filipino, and Korean ancestry. According to GAP’s website, “Their namesake, KATSEYE, is inspired by a cat’s eye gemstone which radiates a variety of colors—much like their members. Each one unique. Together, an unstoppable force.”

Whether the ad was a direct response to American Eagle’s is unknown, but the timing has invited inevitable comparisons between the two campaigns.

GAP’s ad “Better In Denim,” released on Aug. 19, does a great job of displaying a variety of jeans styles, from bootcut to baggy and everything in between. All six members of KATSEYE are shown dancing to Kelis’ 2003 hit “Milkshake,” causing some viewers to speculate that the lyrics “better than yours” are a diss at American Eagle. The dance itself gained popularity on social media, with users sharing that the ad suddenly made them want to buy GAP denim. Even though no words were spoken, GAP’s message was clear: diversity wins. All in all, a pretty successful ad, if you ask me.

Advertising was never just about the jeans or the soap. Popular culture, believe it or not, shapes our society and our outlook—groups that are idealized, groups that are looked down upon, and groups who gain or lose privilege are all reflected in the media. Brands know how to create an impact, they know what their intended message is, and they know which audiences they target through their ads. 

While American Eagle chose to represent an exclusive standard of beauty and success, GAP stood by its decision to show up for inclusion, equality, and humanity, and I can only hope that the rest of us choose to do the same.