Who Said We Don't Want to See Pretty People On-Screen?
Why Gap's Katseye Ad Worked (And Sydney Sweeney's Didn't)
There's been so much buzz in the clothing world lately, and at first I had no idea what all the commotion was about. That was, until I saw Sydney Sweeney’s commercial with American Eagle— an ad that leaned hard on the “good jeans” pun about blonde hair and blue eyes, leaving it feel tone-deaf at best, dangerous at worst. Pair that with the brand’s very name, American Eagle, and it became impossible not to see the subtext. In a climate where politics, identity, and representation matter more than ever, this ad hit a nerve.
Aside from denying the racist undertones, many people claimed the backlash to Sweeney’s ad was just jealousy. That we don’t like seeing “pretty people” on screen anymore. To that I say: no. We love beauty. We crave it even. But what we don’t crave is exclusion. And not-so-subtle hints of supposed superiority.
Sweeney’s ad felt like a hat-tip to beauty that doesn’t need to fight for space, because it’s always had it. And when the fight for space is still ongoing, especially for women of color, queer women, trans women, women outside the “genetic good luck” lottery, that’s not just a missed mark; it’s active harm.
Maybe it's just me (though I don't think it is,) but I was also particularly bothered that American Eagle’s ad wasn’t even aimed at the people who buy the product. Yes, I’m definitely clocking the very obvious appeal to the male gaze, and notably coming from a celebrity who supposedly doesn’t want to be constantly sexualized. The hypocrisy was palpable.
Then Gap’s Katseye campaign dropped and it was drastically (and delightfully) different.
Gap presented an ad with a diverse group of women, joy that didn’t feel forced, and a soundtrack that hit the sweet spot of millennial nostalgia. It wasn’t just marketing; it was cultural awareness. Maybe even, cinematic.
Gap’s Katseye campaign landed brilliantly not only because they gave us an irresistible beat, but they gave us people that we could imagine being in our circle of friends, trying on jeans with in the store. I mean seriously, I know I wasn't the only one singing and dancing to Kelis’s “Milkshake”. That’s not just advertising, that’s belonging.
If companies want to successfully move forward (and be well-received in the process), this is the model: beauty that’s wide enough to hold everyone and creations that don’t just make you want to buy what’s being sold, but ones that make you feel like you belong to the world they’re building.
Because at the end of the day, pretty is everywhere. But pretty on the inside?
That’s what really sells.
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