Battle of denim: American Eagle vs GAP

Art by Jarisse Nabung

Do you have great jeans? American Eagle says no, unless of course, you look like Sydney Sweeney. However, there’s a certain gap between consumers about whose jeans are really that great. When looking back on the summer of 2025, a recurrence of an observational phrase stands out: “A denim ad war was not on my 2025 bingo card”.

For those who’ve decided to have a life, the things you’ve missed regarding this jean debacle are between American Eagle represented by Sydney Sweeney, vs GAP, represented by KATSEYE. While the close release of both ads being denim/jean related is a big coincidence, the difference between each campaign is very clear.

American Eagle x Sydney Sweeney

American Eagle's Campaign

On July 23rd, 2025, the internet was hit by the launch of a campaign between American Eagle and famous actress Sydney Sweeney, who you may recognize from the show Euphoria. Although promoting AE’s line of jean clothing, the campaign, and most importantly, the ads caused much controversy. Not only was the campaign’s tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans”, but the sexualization and implications behind it caused further outrage.

In one ad, Sweeney is lying down on a couch, buttoning up her jeans as the camera zooms slowly across her body. While the camera moves to her face, she talks about genetics and how they’re passed down from generation to generation. She then ends it by saying, “My jeans are blue.” Most ads repeat the idea using the play on words of jeans and genes, but the main message stands out: You don’t have great genes like Sydney Sweeney.

Obviously, the internet was furious. Although many of Sweeney’s fans defended the campaign, it still overlooks the bigger problem. The ad not only oversexualizes Sydney Sweeney, an actress who is known to not like being typecast from her role on Euphoria, but it also conveys the idea that people who don’t have genes that are white, blonde, and blue-eyed like Sydney Sweeney aren’t “great”. The video has been removed from all of American Eagle’s socials, but can still be seen through reuploads. American Eagle has expressed that the “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” was and will always be just about the jeans. Still, the backlash on their campaign has done a lot of damage to American Eagle’s reputation. 

But just a few weeks later, a competitor enters the ring.

KATSEYE x GAP

KATSEYE in "Better in Denim" Ad

Meet KATSEYE, a pop girl group under the KPOP label “HYBE”, consisting of 6 girls, Sophia, Manon, Daniela, Lara, Megan and Yoonchae, who are all from around the world. Popularized and formed in the Netflix show “Dream Academy”, the show documented the training of around 20 girls competing to debut in the company’s first global girl group. Since then, KATSEYE has risen within the music industry. Some songs you may have heard from them include, “Touch”, “Debut”, and their newest album “Beautiful Chaos”, which includes songs like “Gnarly”, and “Gabriela”, which have all been popular over this 2025 summer.

Just 3-4 weeks after American Eagle’s ad, GAP released their own denim campaign starring KATSEYE, labeled “Better in Denim”. The main ad features all six girls dancing to “Milkshake” by Kelis, showcasing not only their denim clothing but also highlighting how effortless it is for each of the girls to dance in GAP’s clothing. The video barely mentions any products, the brand, or the girls themselves, simply featuring the hypnotizing dance. 

In less than a few days, the video racked around 400 million views from GAP’s social media, which includes 27 million views on Youtube and [insert views] on Tiktok. While it may be fate that two denim related ads released about a month from each other, needless to say, the ad did incredibly well, boosting foot traffic and selling out of the collab hoodie.

Analysis 

While I’ve already mentioned why the American Eagle became controversial in the first place, we’ve not yet discussed why the GAP ad became viral. Not only was it because it was released right after the American Eagle controversy, but many of the decisions behind the ad have been remarked as genius on GAP’s part.

Let’s first start with the choice of music; “Milkshake” by Kelis. The song first released in 2003, which the ad emulates with their choices of using the aesthetic of Y2K. The song’s lyrics goes as follows, 

“My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard

And they're like, it's better than yours

Damn right it's better than yours

I can teach you, but I have to charge”

Many people have realized the coincidence of using these specific lyrics after the American Eagle backlash. “...And they’re like, it’s better than yours..” is almost like a subtle nod to how GAP has handled their denim campaign better than how AE did. 

Secondly, one of the things that has been quick to point out is that the GAP ad barely focuses on who the girls are, which then is compared to how the American Eagle campaign feels more focused on Sydney Sweeney. As I’ve discussed, the GAP ad just shows the girls and their backup dancers in their Jean wear dancing flawlessly. This can also be found in the campaigns’ name as well; “Better in Denim” versus “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans." Again, we see that GAP is focusing directly on their products. This choice from GAP has a more authentic feel than the American Eagle campaign plastering Sweeney’s face everywhere.

Finally, we have to talk about the difference between using who to represent each campaign. While Sydney Sweeney is a popular and trending celebrity, the contents of the American Eagle campaign left a bad impression on audiences. The fact they used her, a blonde blue eyed white woman, to express eugenic ideals in this day and age, did not sit well with people. Americans especially, as the USA has become more and more mixed. KATSEYE, while being relatively new, are diverse pop stars who are rising up in fame. They are also tied to K-POP from their label and style, which is already big to begin with. 

However, there are of course still people debating whether Sweeney’s ad promoted white supremacy or not. Others call out how dramatic viewers are about the ad, as this all stems from a simple play on words of jeans. But it still beg

s the question…

Are we being dramatic or simply devolving?

Gathering from everything I’ve witnessed over this summer, KATSEYE and GAP’s partnership worked hand in hand to create a viral campaign. While there may still be  people who judge and criticize this whole controversy for being overdramatic over two jean ads, it is still important to recognize how different GAP and American Eagle’s campaigns were from each other. From the style, the choreography, music choice and the girls themselves, GAP has worked incredibly hard to promote how being proud of our diversity can unite us together. 

“This is denim as you define it. Your individuality. Your self-expression. Your style. Powerful on your own. Even better together.” - GAP