By now we've all heard of the Sydney Sweeney x American Eagle disaster-an ad so bad it's being equally mocked and criticized for genuine concerns about the message of the ad (which we'll get into later.) But there's another jeans ad we've been gushing about: KATSEYE x GAP's "Better in Denim" commercial. It perfectly blends authenticity to the KATSEYE brand with an effortless promotion of jeans, no controversy included.

Image Credit: Nielsoncaetanosalmeron on Wikimedia Commons

The American Eagle Fall '25 campaign was released on July 23, 2025 with the tagline "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans." The ads themselves aren't the problem, it's the subtext. The video itself, usually only about 30 seconds long, displays Sydney in different situations. Introducing herself in front of a camera in an audition-like scenario, walking around a blank set with voiceover, or just posing, but no matter the actions two things are constant. Sydney is always wearing AE jeans and other denim, and the ad always ends with the words "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans."

While this may sound innocent enough, netizens have taken a fair amount of issue with the choosing of a white, blonde, and blue eyed woman for a campaign about "good jeans." Some are even saying that the campaign isn't just about our favorite denim pants and is referring to the belief that white people and people of Aryan descent, like Sydney, have better genes. It definitely didn't help the situation when President Trump took to his social media network Truth Social: "Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there. It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are ‘flying off the shelves.'" This whole situation couldn't have come at a worse time due to Sydney already out of some people's good graces after trying to sell bars of soap containing her bathwater earlier this year.

KATSEYE

And while her public adoration is on a downward trend, KATSEYE is going up. The group was formed by K-Pop production powerhouse HYBE (BTS, Tomorrow X Together, Enhypen, and more) and American record giant Geffen (owned by UMG; Billie Eilish, BLACKPINK, Kendrick Lamar, and more), and is the final result of one year of auditions which cut the number of girls from one hundred twenty thousand to six. The six that we know and love today: Lara, Daniela, Sophia, Yoonchae, Manon, and Megan. With songs like "Gabriela," "Touch," and "Gnarly," it's fair to say that this sextet is shining bright.

Even while part of such a cohesive and united group, the girls each have a strong identity and individuality to them. And as a group, their authenticity is remarkable. Their diverse and global backgrounds are a huge part of that.

Daniela remarked to Hassan Beyez with Tmrw Magazine that "a mix of cultures helped shape the sound and made it feel real and unique." And this blend of cultures and genuineness comes through in GAP's new "Better In Denim" ad campaign. They really did what KATSEYE does best-- being a group while being individuals.

Image Credit: Warmtoned on Wikimedia Commons

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The Ad

All the girls were wearing different denim pieces from the collection, which really emphasized the personality and overall vibe of the girls. For example, Megan was dressed in a shell tank top and mini pleated skirt, which ties in well with her Y2K street wear meets feminine aesthetic, and Manon looked amazing in baggy jeans and a custom made bikini style top. Meanwhile, Lara was able to represent her Tamil culture by wearing a bindi, a traditional South Asian/Hindu mark or adornment worn by women to represent their culture.

The campaign consisted of a few shorts, a press release, new pictures on the website, and a behind-the-scenes video--but the main event was the 90 second long commercial titled "Better In Denim." It featured all six girls clad in their unique denim ensembles dancing with their signature fierce moves to the 2000s anthem "Milkshake" by Kelis. It showed off the jeans and other pieces in the collection extremely well, no misogyny included. In fact, the opposite is true.

There were men featured in the commercial, but it was clear through the choreography and expression that the girls were the clear leaders. In one shot, Daniela is being almost worshiped by a posse of male backup dancers--a clear show of empowerment.

Image Credit: Man Alive! on Wikimedia Commons

Online Impression

In addition to being one of the most searched ads on YouTube, many creators have taken to the site to share their thoughts on the ad.

Videos from creators like Xiwang Kpop Tea,

Pop Culture Diva,

and How to Topple Tyrants (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HZu52RJRbZE) agreed that this ad was FAR superior to Sydney's, some even going as far to say that they'll be buying jeans exclusively at Gap now. One creator, @angelina, compared both ads with one statement in an August 20th YouTube short (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JL5N-e9OwYY): "[KATSEYE is] celebrating jeans in a much less problematic way."

Conclusion

To sum it up, Syd's ad was what some might say is a thinly veiled racist dog whistle, while the KATSEYE ad brought people together, embraced individuality, and celebrated the essence of the group. I loved the ad, and like many others am on the edge of my seat to see what these extremely talented girls will do next.