By Ashley Hefner, Photographer and Staff Writer
Why do some stories dominate the spotlight while others stay in the background? Why does it seem as though the media pours endless energy into amplifying trivial controversies while avoiding issues with real consequences? This imbalance isn’t just frustrating — it’s dangerous. What captures attention often reflects not the seriousness of a story but rather what can be packaged and sold to society as entertainment. Two incidents from late July perfectly illustrate this divide: one a denim ad slogan that became the focal point of cultural debate, the other a video perpetuating antisemitic conspiracies that received only muted coverage.
On July 23, American Eagle launched a campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney with the now-infamous slogan “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” The pun on “jeans/genes” quickly blew up on social media. Critics claimed it hinted at genetic superiority and eugenics, even comparing the campaign’s messaging to Nazi propaganda. Defenders, however, dismissed the backlash as an overreaction. According to The Guardian, one particularly viral TikTok reaction video criticizing the campaign, saying, “Like, that is Nazi propaganda,” gained more than 3 million views. The ad also drew attention from major news outlets like CNN, The New York Times, NPR, Le Monde and Vox.
Soon, even political figures like President Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz were commenting on the controversy. Senator Cruz mocked the backlash the ad was receiving by posting a photo of Sweeney on X with the caption, “Wow. Now the crazy left has come out against beautiful women. I’m sure that will poll well.” President Trump blatantly supported the ad, calling it the “HOTTEST ad out there” on Truth Social. Their messages amplified the controversy, pushing what began as a fashion advertisement into the center of America’s ongoing culture wars.
But while politicians and popular news outlets debated the meaning of a denim pun, a far more serious story was unfolding, receiving significantly less mainstream attention. Huda Kattan, a prominent figure in the beauty industry, posted a TikTok claiming Israel was to blame for World War I, World War II, 9/11 and the October 7 attacks.
The Anti-Defamation League and Jewish advocacy groups condemned the video, and reports circulated that Sephora was considering cutting ties with Kattan. But beneath the video, commenters supported Kattan’s unfounded assertions about Israel, saying things like “she’s right,” “amazing woman” and “she’s just speaking facts.”
Despite the blatant antisemitism and the gravity of her and her supporters’ comments, the mainstream media offered a fraction of the coverage compared to what they had afforded the Sweeney ad. Rather, most of the response stayed within Jewish advocacy circles and communities already attentive to antisemitism. Outside of these spheres, most mainstream media entirely avoided the story.
Although TikTok eventually deleted Kattan’s video, the disparity in attention is still disturbing. Why did an ambiguous denim slogan dominate headlines while antisemitic conspiracy theories struggled to break into mainstream discourse?
The answer lies in the way major media outlets prioritize drama over serious issues. A pun about jeans is easy to make viral and endlessly debate, while antisemitic claims are more difficult to present. By covering actual difficult topics, they also risk repelling audiences, especially when linked to a subject as polarizing as Israel. What makes the imbalance even more jarring is that the Sweeney scandal itself concerned accusations that the ad resembled Nazi propaganda, a claim that was tenuous at best. Meanwhile, Kattan’s video promoted actual Nazi propaganda, blaming the only state, and by extension, Jews themselves for the world’s calamities. Yet the media spotlighted the denim slogan while virtually ignoring the real antisemitism. The contrast exposes a troubling reality about the media’s cultural priorities: news outlets eagerly amplify low-stakes controversies but hesitate to confront explicit hatred. By focusing on superficial scandals, they project concern — “Look, we covered the Sydney Sweeney controversy,” but as a result, society fixates on dissecting the meaning of denim ads while ignoring dialogue that fuels real hate.
When major outlets ignore blatant hatred, they allow harmful ideas to spread unchallenged — and in doing so, risk giving them a dangerous sense of legitimacy. The Sweeny ad debate highlights society’s appetite for outrage over superficial scandals, but the muted response to Kattan’s video is far more alarming. It exposes a dangerous media pattern: controversy gets attention only when it is palatable, not when it’s urgent.
If mainstream media continues to chase viral drama at the expense of serious threats, they risk normalizing rhetoric that erodes truth and fuels hate. Outrage over denim wordplay may entertain, but conspiracy-driven antisemitism demands far greater concern. Ultimately, the role of the press is not simply to amplify what goes viral — but to share with the world what genuinely matters.
Photo Credit: Unsplash