MAGA Influencer's "Woke" Label for KATSEYE's GAP Campaign Backfires as fans defend the group

A recent GAP commercial featuring global girl group KATSEYE has unexpectedly sparked political debate after a MAGA-aligned influencer dismissed the ad as “woke” on social media.

The campaign, which features KATSEYE modeling GAP’s latest denim collection, was released around the same time actress Sydney Sweeney teamed up with American Eagle for her own campaign. The influencer suggested that GAP’s video was meant as a “response” to the buzz surrounding Sweeney’s ad.

Fans quickly pushed back, noting that KATSEYE has steadily built a portfolio of global brand endorsements since their debut. Many argued the backlash wasn’t really about the denim campaign itself but stemmed from discomfort with the group's diverse lineup. Others expressed disbelief that a straightforward clothing ad could ignite a culture-war flashpoint. Supporters also pointed out that the criticism ironically brought more attention to the ad, boosting its visibility across social platforms. Some highlighted the hypocrisy of this influencer framing GAP’s casting choice as “political” while ignoring the long history of American fashion brands featuring diverse models. Additionally, many fans argued that targeting a rising K-pop group over a denim commercial only underscored how out of touch the criticism seemed with both fashion and global pop culture.

As of now, neither GAP nor KATSEYE has commented on the criticism. The commercial remains live across GAP’s official platforms, where it continues to draw positive responses from the group’s supporters.