Let’s set the scene: It’s April 30, 2025, and TikTok was buzzing. KATSEYE had just released their latest single, “Gnarly,” and no one knew what to think. It was a complete shift from their previous song, “Touch,” which was a cute, calm, girly number. “Gnarly” was loud, fiery, and complete with an intense music video. It had absurd lyrics that seemingly made no sense, and I thought, like many, What are they doing??
May 1, 2025: KATSEYE performed “Gnarly” live on M Countdown, and once again, social media was going crazy. Within just a couple of days, the public (and my own) opinion of the song changed entirely. Their stage presence was captivating. The choreography was riveting. Their set and outfits were mesmerizing. This set KATSEYE up to own the summer.
If you don’t know by now (where have you been?), KATSEYE is a girl group that started from the competition show Dream Academy. It was a collaboration between the companies HYBE and Geffen Records, and they sought to create a “global girl group.” K-pop groups have been around for a long time and are incredibly popular, but the world was lacking a Western equivalent. Twenty girls competed, and six ultimately formed the group. It is a truly diverse mix, with girls from Switzerland, the Philippines, South Korea, and more. They’ve released two EPs in the last year or so: SIS (Soft is Strong) and Beautiful Chaos. Their first few singles, including “Debut” and “Touch,” were successful, but lacked individuality. “Gnarly” redefined KATSEYE’s brand and persona. It showed they are a modern, edgy group that can have fun and not be held to the strict style of K-pop.
KATSEYE’s success continued throughout the summer, as they appeared at a tailgate event in Los Angeles, released Beautiful Chaos, and performed at Lollapalooza. Everyone was talking about KATSEYE.
And then GAP released an advertisement featuring the group.
The six girls were shown in several styles of GAP denim, doing a choreographed dance to “Milkshake” by Kelis, highlighting the jeans’ flexibility and movement. (I even know a student dancer who bought GAP jeans specifically because of the ad, and she could do a full split in them!) The ad promoted uniqueness and diversity, with GAP captioning the TikTok, “This is denim as you define it. Your individuality. Your self-expression.”
The ad is truly perfect: six beautiful girls from diverse backgrounds in stylish denim outfits, dancing to a hit 2000s throwback. What more could you want?
The GAP ad also happened to be an impeccably timed follow-up to a campaign by American Eagle starring Sydney Sweeney.
Sydney Sweeney, as opposed to a diverse global group, is your all-American, blonde-haired, blue-eyed white girl. She first gained recognition in the Netflix show Everything Sucks, a charming queer show set in the 90s, which was cancelled after one season. She then skyrocketed to fame by playing Cassie in Euphoria, a raunchy, hyper-sexualized character. Many people disagreed with Cassie’s choices, but loved the actress. Over the past few years, there have been some questions about Sweeney, namely that her family members were alleged MAGA supporters, which upset many people online. She then sold soap supposedly infused with her bathwater, marketed in a sexualized ad that people claimed was playing to the “male gaze.”
The American Eagle ad was the final nail in the coffin for the actress. The ad depicts Sweeney in all her glory, using wordplay with “jeans” and “genes” and claiming that the actress (again, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed white woman) has “great genes.” The ad received loads of backlash. People felt that it was a white supremacist dog whistle, using the genes/jeans homonym to promote the “ideal white person.”
This is just one post from their campaign. The one that sparked the most controversy has since been deleted from American Eagle’s account, although it has circulated online, like on the US Sun TikTok account. In the video, Sweeney says, “Genes are passed down from parent to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue.” Weird, right? Who knows what the brand’s intentions were, but it was in poor taste.
The response to the two ads reveals this generation’s current values; the typical Gen Zer will not support a brand or celebrity if they do something deemed problematic or if they fail to uplift marginalized communities. I personally don’t care about hyper-sexualized ads, and that type of marketing just doesn’t get me to buy things. Instead, I — and many people I know — look for fun videos with replicable choreography and a catchy song. The KATSEYE x GAP collaboration, in this sense, truly represents Gen Z, and the resounding love for the ad exemplifies what they look for from celebrities and brands.
KATSEYE continues to stun: on Sept. 7, they won their first VMA for PUSH Performance of the Year!
2025 has been an incredible year for the girl group. From their hit single “Gnarly” all the way to winning awards, there is no doubt KATSEYE is headed for great things. I can’t wait to see what they do next!