This article is only published on Toutiao, and reproduction is prohibited.
Recently, a fashion advertisement featuring a celebrity ended up sparking a public storm on American social media, involving racism, political figures, and the "cancel culture" war.
Hollywood's rising beauty Sydney Sweeney
The star of the advertisement is 27-year-old Hollywood newcomer Sydney Sweeney. Unexpectedly, as the incident continued to escalate, even Donald Trump Jr., Texas Senator Ted Cruz, and President Trump himself have become involved.
The controversy started seemingly simply: American clothing brand American Eagle released a new ad featuring Sweeney promoting jeans with the light-hearted voiceover, "Sydney Sweeney's jeans are amazing!" However, in the ad's copy, the company wrote the word "genes," intending to play on the double meaning of "jeans" and "good genes."
In other words, this white female celebrity indirectly praised her own "genes," which some netizens accused of having racist implications, even calling it "Nazi-style propaganda."
From Ad to Controversy: Why One Word Sparked Public Outrage
Initially, the ad sparked only minor criticism. However, on TikTok and X, people quickly pointed out that the phrase "good genes" had a strong historical connection to the white supremacy and eugenics ideologies promoted during the Nazi era. Overnight, accusations that American Eagle was promoting racism spread online.
The magazine Salon wrote that this line of text has historically been used to praise whiteness, slimness, and charm, and was essentially a product of white supremacist aesthetics. Critics asked: why focus on Sweeney's "genes"? Wasn't this an intentional or unintentional gesture toward white supremacy?
Some angry netizens wrote: "Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad is a modern version of Nazi propaganda, so blatant it's hard to believe."
Donald Trump Jr.'s Involvement: Joke? Satire? Or Fueling the Fire?
After the ad faced fierce criticism, Donald Trump Jr., the son of the former president, posted on social media: "Well, Donald is really handsome now!" accompanied by an AI image of his father, showing him wearing denim and posing like a model.
His son's AI father
The background music was the classic song "Relax" from the 2001 comedy film "American Beauty," which also mocked the extravagance and pretentiousness of the fashion industry. The post seemed to be mocking the controversy and subtly satirizing the prevalent "cancel culture" online.
Trump Jr.'s post quickly attracted thousands of comments. User shawna.lahman wrote on Instagram: "I'm a Trump voter, but I genuinely want to forget this picture and the song." User @sandycsltx said it was a "chilling photo."
However, some supported Trump Jr., saying only people with "severe Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS)" would dislike the image.
Political Heavyweights Join the Debate
As the controversy escalated, political figures in the United States also spoke out. The White House Communications Director defended the ad on X: "Cancel culture is rampant. This foolish progressive ideology is exactly what Americans want to change in 2024."
Senator Ted Cruz, who has long criticized "woke culture," also took to social media, writing: "Wow. Now the crazy left is also against beauty. I believe this attitude will be popular in polls..."
Ted Cruz criticizes the left at the airport
However, his statement also provoked mockery from netizens: "When Trump attacked your wife's looks, why didn't you speak out so strongly?" "Remember that 'Yes, sir!' moment? That's interesting."
Deeper Divisions: Humor or Harm?
Critics argue that the ad, though seemingly light-hearted, subtly promoted the white physical features, which is a common tactic used by Nazi propaganda. They emphasize that American society is highly sensitive to such topics, and brand marketing should not easily touch these "taboo" areas.
Supporters, on the other hand, counter that this is overreaction by the left, taking a simple ad too seriously. They believe that Sweeney is a popular star, and using "genes" as a pun is just a creative idea without any malicious intent.
Sarcasm aside, American Eagle's stock price increased by more than 11% after the ad was released, with a surge on the day of the ad. Many marketing experts point out that this side shows that topic and controversy can sometimes bring more exposure than anything else.
The real result is that the company's stock price went up
American Eagle's Chief Marketing Officer Craig Broemmer responded to the criticism, stating that the company was only trying to seize the back-to-school season opportunity, and Sweeney is "one of the most well-known young stars globally," and they did not expect it to be interpreted as a Nazi implication.
The Underlying Culture War
This storm, starting from a fashion ad, is essentially a deeper cultural war in today's American society: one side is concerned that hidden racism still lingers in the subconscious of society, and any "good genes" language should not be taken lightly. The other side criticizes political correctness gone too far, making simple humor and advertising creativity face suppression.
Whether on either side, the effect of social media has made any slogan potentially evolve into a national debate. And the involvement of political figures has turned this commercial event into a clash of culture and ideology.
Perhaps for American Eagle, whether the ad actually had racist implications is no longer the focus. The most real result is that it turned an ordinary endorsement ad into a trending topic overnight, becoming a subject of conversation for many people.
For American society, this incident once again reminds people that the sensitive history behind words like "race," "eugenics," and "white supremacy" remains difficult to completely escape. In the age of social media, an不经意的文案 can trigger a real cultural storm.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7532941944343839278/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking the [up/down] buttons below.