Denim. People wear it all the time. Me, you, our teachers, almost everyone. It’s a very popular type of clothing, having many different forms, but the most popular way to wear denim is jeans. With lots of people wearing them, there are lots of different stores that sell them in different sizes, colors and designs. It’s also not uncommon to see these stores collaborate with celebrities for their target audience.

In an advertisement for American Eagle, a clothing brand that collaborated with Sydney Sweeney, you may notice that most end with the phrase “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” This may not seem like a big deal until you realize that she’s referring to her genetic genes, and not the jeans she’s promoting. During one of the ads, after explaining how genes work, Sweeney says, “My jeans are blue.” In case you didn’t get it, she’s talking about her eye color genes not her jeans.

Many companies have tried to advertise their own clothing/jeans with celebrity cameos as well, but none of them have gotten the same attention as the American Eagle ad. That was until Gap made their own ad with KATESEYE.

For those unfamiliar, KATESEYE is a global girl group that’s made up of six different members, all from diverse backgrounds. In the Gap x KATESEYE collaboration, the members, who all have different genes, are dancing in various different forms of denim to the song “Milkshake” by Kelis. The ad has become viral because some suggest that it is subtly hinting that their ad is better than American Eagle’s with the song lyrics.

So remember, where you decide to shop is who you are supporting in this denim war. With big names like Sydney Sweeney lending their influence and bold new brands like KATSEYE making waves, the competition is about more than just jeans- it’s about identity, values and where fashion is headed next.