Casmin Week 1: Embracing American Identity
If I traveled back in time to the 1980s and looked at the various media Americans had, the only socially acceptable models to make the cover of magazines would all be white models. That was what everybody knew America as: the white man’s prideful gaze and spirit, his fist bumping his chest in glory. America’s patriotism was what created Uncle Sam in the first place. But wouldn’t the immigrants, colored folks, or non-white folks living in America simply question America’s identity? Wasn’t this the promised place of new diversity, new opportunity, and living the American dream?
While endlessly scrolling through my phone a couple nights ago, I came across these two jean ads each featuring Sydney Sweeney and KATSEYE. In her American Eagle jeans ad, Sydney Sweeney wore suggestive clothing and stated that the jeans “make your butt look amazing”. At the end of the ad, large text covered the screen with “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”. This ad brought up intense controversy within the public because of the implied meaning that Sydney, as a white girl, had superior genes. Many started to look at this advertisement as an attempt to indirectly establish white superiority. This ad also reminded me of older media because of how women such as Sydney Sweeney were commonly sexualized by being forced to wear revealing clothing in order to appeal to the white male population.
American Eagle Jeans Ad featuring Sydney Sweeney
Soon after this ad was released, GAP jeans responded with their ad featuring KATSEYE, a girl group with diverse, ethnic backgrounds. Once I came across KATSEYE’s ad, it made me realize how far the country has come to change the lense of how we see ourselves. We are now able to express ourselves regardless of race and ethnic background. As a diversely populated country, we have the ability to change our identity. And as America, we changed it. Sydney Sweeney's ad will forever symbolize our country's past, but more importantly, KATSEYE's ad will demonstrate the growth the non-white community made in modern media representation, thus changing the American identity.
Hi Casmin! Your evaluation of the recent American Eagle versus Gap advertisements is great in revealing the intentions of the brands! The Sydney Sweeney American Eagle advertisement does make some questionable decisions regarding statements that read as derogatory, while KATSEYE’s wordless yet energetic performance presents the jeans as comfortable and good-looking without a model body. With American Eagle’s advertisement being a solo shot of a white actress, even the Gap advertisement’s background dancers being ethnically diverse as well play into how contrasting the two brands portrayed the “American Identity” you mentioned. I think the primary audience towards the two clothing brands reflects their chosen way of advertising; at least from my perspective, American Eagle seems to have a predominantly white consumer base while Gap is more accessible and caters to older people (likely due to their prices when compared to AE). Some KATSEYE members may be culturally American, but they are not ethnically white American, representing a large portion of U.S. immigrants and their descendants. It really is crazy how it was only within the last decades that the U.S. started recognizing the different ethnicities of people who were never acknowledged for their contribution to this country. Gap being one of the U.S.’s largest clothing brands and having chosen a diverse girl group definitely helped boost their brand reputation and reinforce a much more positive message amongst Americans. Thanks so much for your interpretation (and for bringing up KATSEYE)!
ReplyDeleteI do agree that Sydney Sweeney's ad, even if not explicitly discriminatory, does rightfully sound an alarm in the minds of many. It is entirely possible that it is simply a play of words with no further intention, but its airing in a nation where racism is still complex and prevalent does hint towards subtle racial messaging. Specifically, it reminds me of the "science" of eugenics, which was often used (notably in Nazi Germany) to justify racial discrimination and promote the ideal picture of a white, blue-eyed, blond-haired race called Aryans. I can see why it was so controversial.
ReplyDeleteToday, many companies try to sell more than just jeans—as you indicated with the KATSEYE ad, these advertisements promote a picture of an ideal life, typically complemented by some denim clothing; the picture pushed by the American Eagle ad is not only concerning, but it also fails to accurately capture the American identity. For decades, America has been built on the backs of all kinds of people from so many different backgrounds and acknowledging that is vital to embracing who we are as a nation. The KATSEYE ad, even if not revolutionizing the makeup of American identity, still does something vital: it represents it properly.