Gap Just Schooled American Eagle on Diversity—And Accidentally Won a Culture War
After American Eagle's controversial Sydney Sweeney ad (that was praised by Donald Trump), a multicultural girl group became a symbol of resistance
Gap just dropped the most viral ad campaign in the company's history, and—for many—the timing feels like a direct response to American Eagle's Sydney Sweeney controversy. In case you don’t remember, that ad featured the blonde-haired and blue-eyed actress saying, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color,” with a narrator adding, “Sydney Sweeney has great genes.” Donald Trump and thousands of Republicans praised the campaign as an attack on DEI and “woke” advertising.
GAP's campaign featuring KATSEYE suddenly became something that couldn't be more different: six young women from across the globe dancing in denim to Kelis' "Milkshake," celebrating exactly the kind of diversity that's currently under siege in America.
These campaigns take months to plan, film, and produce, so this is not to say that Gap whipped up their KATSEYE collaboration in a few weeks to dunk on American Eagle. But timing in politics is everything, and what might have been a straightforward inclusive marketing campaign suddenly became a cultural statement. Gap's celebration of KATSEYE (a girl group with Filipino, South Korean, Swiss, and American members) landed like a direct counter-argument to every "good genes" talking point the far-right loves to promote.
The "Genes" That Started It All
Let's rewind to American Eagle's campaign disaster. Sydney Sweeney, draped in denim, looked directly into the camera and delivered what seemed like an innocent pun: "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue." The wordplay was obvious—genes vs. jeans—but the subtext hit like a sledgehammer for anyone who knows the history of white supremacy in America.
Before anyone rolls their eyes and calls this perspective a “reach”, let's establish what we aren’t saying. I'm not suggesting American Eagle's marketing team is made up of closet eugenicists plotting from their corporate boardroom to reinstate Jim Crow. But what is true is that marketing teams for campaigns this massive spend months analyzing every angle, focus-testing phrases, and calculating cultural risks. In 2025, with "good genes" rhetoric surging through conservative beauty trends, they had to know this language would land somewhere specific.
Here's the uncomfortable reality: "good genes" rhetoric has powered eugenics movements for over a century. Centering a campaign around a conventionally attractive white woman discussing inherited traits that determine appearance (specifically her blonde “hair color” and blue “eye color”) carries historical weight, intended or not. Timing that message during an administration dismantling diversity programs while promising mass deportations based on bloodline purity makes the context unavoidable.
The social media explosion was predictable. Right-wing critics dismissed the Eugenics Movement comparisons as progressive hysteria until the highest levels of Republican leadership embraced the campaign. Suddenly, a jeans ad had become political scripture.
When the idea of “Good Genes” was deadly
America's obsession with "good genes" started with pseudoscience that provided intellectual cover for white supremacy. The eugenics movement of the early 1900s convinced millions of Americans that genetic "fitness" could be measured and controlled, leading to the forced sterilization of over 65,000 people deemed "unfit" to reproduce.
These weren't random victims. The targets were disproportionately poor women, women of color, immigrants, and anyone who didn't fit the Anglo-Saxon Protestant ideal that eugenicists promoted as genetically superior. Indiana passed the world's first compulsory sterilization law in 1907, and by the 1930s, over 30 states had similar legislation. Nazi Germany studied American eugenics laws when crafting their own racial purity programs, explicitly crediting American "racial hygiene" research in their justifications for the Holocaust.
The language was always sanitized, always dressed up in the rhetoric of "improvement" and "betterment." Sound familiar? Today's attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs use remarkably similar talking points, claiming that prioritizing "merit" and "natural" advantages will lead to better outcomes for everyone. What makes the current moment so chilling is how explicitly the Trump administration has embraced these historical precedents. The systematic dismantling of DEI programs, the mass deportation plans targeting specific ethnic groups, the obsessive focus on "American bloodlines" are obvious nods to eugenics thinking.
The backlash to diverse casting—from Halle Bailey as Ariel to Rachel Zegler as Snow White—follows the same playbook. First, you establish that certain physical traits represent "natural" or "traditional" standards. Then you frame any deviation from those standards as artificial interference with natural order. Finally, you mobilize widespread anger against anyone who threatens the genetic hierarchy you've constructed.
When Representation Becomes Resistance
Enter KATSEYE, and suddenly Gap's campaign—likely planned months before the Sweeney controversy erupted—becomes radical by default. The girl group is living proof that beauty, talent, and worth aren't contained within the narrow genetic parameters that eugenicists have always promoted. Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Manon Bannerman, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza, and Yoonchae Jeung represent exactly the kind of global, multicultural future that white supremacists have always feared.
The group's own words make the contrast with "good genes" rhetoric impossible to ignore. "We each come from different parts of the world, with unique cultures, languages, and stories," they explain. "It's the heart of what makes our sound, style, and presence stand out." Their very name draws from a cat's eye gemstone that radiates a variety of colors, "much like their members. Each one unique. Together, an unstoppable force."
Gap's campaign language doubled down on this philosophy of difference as strength. The campaign was explicitly described as "a complex piece that celebrates unity, individuality, and dance." The choreographer behind their viral routine assembled "30 of the best dancers in the world" specifically because "when you add in everybody's styles, things come to life and take on a different shape."
This wasn't accidental messaging. KATSEYE markets itself as "a global girl group, redefining pop music through a multicultural K-pop lens," positioned as "the first of their kind to bridge cultures." Since emerging from the Netflix series "Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE," they've built their brand around what they call "fearless self-expression." Their millions of fans, dubbed EYEKONS, are drawn to exactly this celebration of cultural mixing and individual uniqueness.
The juxtaposition couldn't be starker, even if it was accidental. While American Eagle celebrated one woman's "genetic gifts," Gap's campaign showcased six women whose very existence challenges the notion that there's one standard of beauty or worth. While Sweeney discussed inherited traits determining personality and appearance, KATSEYE embodied the reality that culture, creativity, and collaboration transcend bloodlines.
Gap's campaign reached record engagement precisely because it offered something American Eagle's couldn't: hope. In a moment when diversity programs are being systematically dismantled and immigration is being framed as genetic contamination, seeing young women from around the world celebrated for their individuality feels revolutionary.
The Future They're Fighting For
When Trump praised Sydney Sweeney's ad after learning about her Republican registration, he was signaling approval for a worldview that sees genetic inheritance as destiny. This is the same administration that's promised to end birthright citizenship, launch mass deportations, and eliminate diversity programs across government and corporate America.
Gap's response matters because it demonstrates that resistance is still possible, even profitable. Their KATSEYE campaign became their most successful campaign ever, proving that inclusion is economically smart. In a moment when corporations are being pressured to abandon diversity initiatives, Gap doubled down and won.
But the broader battle is far from over. Every diverse casting choice, every inclusive marketing campaign, every corporate diversity program is now a political battleground where the stakes couldn't be higher. The question isn't whether American Eagle intended to promote eugenics—it's whether they understood that in the current political moment, celebrating "good genes" carries unavoidable historical weight.
The young women of KATSEYE represent something that eugenicists have always found terrifying: proof that beauty and talent can't be contained within racial categories or genetic hierarchies. Their success challenges every assumption about who deserves to be celebrated and why.
But corporate courage is vanishing when we need it most.
Remember how quickly American Eagle's "good genes" campaign gained Republican endorsement? How effortlessly a jeans ad became a rallying cry for eugenics-adjacent rhetoric? That's precisely what happens when diverse voices don't have independent platforms to challenge these narratives in real-time.
While Gap's KATSEYE campaign went viral for celebrating multicultural beauty, most corporations are quietly retreating from inclusive messaging altogether. They're terrified of becoming the next culture war target. Marketing teams that once championed diversity are now sanitizing campaigns and removing multicultural casting as not to trigger political backlash.
The entertainment industry is following suit—diverse casting decisions are being reversed and executives are green-lighting projects that celebrate the exact "genetic hierarchy" that eugenicists promoted for over a century.
The reality is stark: we need media platforms documenting how "good genes" rhetoric is being normalized through corporate messaging, platforms that can't be pressured into silence when the next Sydney Sweeney controversy erupts.
Right now, less than 4% of my followers are paid subscribers. What could we accomplish with more support?
🎬 At 5% paid subscribers: I could investigate which major brands are quietly removing diverse representation from their campaigns and why.
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🌍 At 20% paid subscribers: We could build a comprehensive database of how eugenics language is being repackaged in modern advertising and entertainment.
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This isn't just about keeping a newsletter alive. It's about ensuring that when the next "genes vs. jeans" campaign launches, we have the resources to immediately contextualize its historical weight and challenge the narrative before it becomes Republican gospel.
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References
Vargas, Ramon Antonio. "Sydney Sweeney's Republican voter registration revealed amid jeans ad controversy." The Guardian, August 3, 2025.
Crawford, Haley. "For American Eagle, Is the Attention Worth the Controversy?" The Business of Fashion, August 1, 2025.
Crawford, Haley. "With Katseye, Gap Lands Its Most Viral Ad Yet." The Business of Fashion, August 22, 2025.
Benitz, Samantha. "Gap Releases 'Inclusive' KATSEYE Ad After Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle 'Good Genes' Controversy." Us Weekly, August 20, 2025.
Bero, Tayo. "The global backlash against The Little Mermaid proves why we needed a Black Ariel." The Guardian, June 9, 2023.
I hope the Gap outsells American Eagle. 😂
Very informative and well written. I hope GAP thrives!!!