Doja Cat, never one to miss a chaotic cultural moment, recently uploaded a TikTok that has the internet both laughing and spiralling. In it, she recreates Sydney Sweeney’s now-viral jean ad, delivering the dialogue with a dramatic Southern accent and just enough sarcasm to set the tone: it’s ridiculous.
With millions of views and an avalanche of reactions, the parody didn’t just mock the ad; it spotlighted everything that’s gone sideways in the way we market fashion, especially to women.
On the surface, the original campaign was trying to be clever. It paired a scientific explanation about inherited traits with a smug little wink about the jeans Sweeney was wearing. Wordplay, sure. But the reaction? Anything but light.
Some viewers read it as innocent. Others, not so much. The focus on Sweeney’s blue eyes, blonde hair and ‘great genes’ struck a nerve. A few even suggested the ad was pushing subtle racial messaging, connecting it to historical beauty standards and more dangerous ideologies. Theories flew. The comment sections were on fire. And for a campaign likely built to go viral. It worked, though not quite in the way the brand intended (their stock price is increasing by the way)
Then there was the other layer: the unnecessary sexualisation.
Because let’s be honest, this was a denim ad. Jeans. Yet the campaign’s tone, styling and close-up framing felt designed to lean into a hyper-feminine, overtly sensual aesthetic. It wasn’t just about the pants. It was about the body in them. And that’s where things started to feel tired. We’ve seen this trope before: the model lies down, arches a back, flutters a lash. It’s textbook. But it’s also 2025.
Do we really need to serve up genetic, seduction and innuendo…just to get people to buy jeans?
Cue Doja Cat, who, with one TikTok, stripped the entire campaign down to its awkward bones. Her delivery was over-the-top, her tone playfully mocking and her message clear: we all see how ridiculous this is.
She didn’t need to rant or explain. She just performed the ad in a way that laid bare its clunkiness, how its attempt at being intellectual, sensual and cool somehow ended up as a punchline.
Her video hit a nerve not because it was mean-spirited but because it was accurate.
But it’s worth noting: the issue here isn’t Sydney Sweeney. It’s the system she’s part of. A system that still thinks ‘sex but make it science’ is the recipe for a memorable jeans ad.
A pun gone wrong? A branding misfire? A spotlight on how quickly the internet combusts? Maybe. But beneath all the noise was something more familiar: the way brands still use women’s bodies, ambiguous messaging and vague intellect to sell basic products and then act surprised when it all blows up.
And perhaps that’s why Doja’s video resonated. It reminded us not just how silly the ad was but how exhausted we are by the formula behind it.
Because maybe the real message wasn’t about genes or jeans at all, but about how quickly we’ll spiral over a single line if it’s delivered with just enough ambiguity and a well-lit close-up.
And that, dear reader, is the most 2025 thing of all.
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