A Narrative Built in Real Time Before Our Eyes – HotAir

I can’t believe I am writing about the American Eagle Sydney Sweeney ads again.

No, it’s not about Sweeney’s T&A, or even the ads themselves, but rather about how the media builds a narrative. But still. 





The reason why I can’t believe it is that this should be a tempest in a teapot, but instead it has blown up not just on the internet, but now into the Pravda Media because they decided to make it a thing. Sweeney is what you could call a “news hook,” which is a near-perfect term for the phenomenon. 

The ads are not news. The “outrage,” which is rather isolated, is not news. What is “news” is what is always the news in the Pravda Media: Americans are racist, sexist, homophobic bigots who vote for evil Orange Man and are goosestepping our way to fascism. 

So far I have seen a few whackadoodle videos from ugly lesbian-types angry about the ads for, let’s face it, obvious reasons, and a few more far-left whackadoodles writing tweets about how Sydney Sweeney is a Nazi icon. There was a cultural moment where somebody from the Biden administration would echo the sentiment, and college professors would show up to denounce the Nazi coding. 





But we are mostly past that. Except in Pravda, which clings to the Narrative™. I have seen a number of thinkpieces dissecting the Nazi undertones and explaining in detail how “whiteness” is now in. Here is NBC’s take on the ad, in an opinion piece:

The backlash has been swift and fierce, and some of it, at least, if you ask me, is fair. The internet has been quick to condemn the advertisement as noninclusive at best and as overtly promoting “white supremacy” and “Nazi propaganda” at worst. These critics point to the copy and the implication of calling a white person superior because of their genes. In the videos, Sweeney exudes a sort of vintage sexiness that caters to the male gaze. She embodies the near mythological girl-next-door beautiful but low-maintenance sexy femininity that dominated media in the 1990s and the early 2000s. Together, the campaign feels regressive and not retro, offensive and not cheeky.

The advertisement, the choice of Sweeney as the sole face in it and the internet’s reaction reflect an unbridled cultural shift toward whiteness, conservatism and capitalist exploitation. Sweeney is both a symptom and a participant.





No doubt the ads are popular, and American Eagle is making bank–their stock price has jumped nicely–and every red-blooded American male of any color is enjoying the sex appeal, and some are debating vital issues about whether Sydney’s backside is the right shape or not. Some prefer the Kardashian look that had a moment or three, while others prefer more sedate-looking glutes.

All agree that her non-a$$ assets are outstanding. 

Few people, outside Pravda, are discussing her skin color. Although, to be fair, there is a myth that “gentlemen prefer blonds,” which I suppose is race-adjacent, except for Beyoncé. 





The furore is inescapable, particularly for men who search for videos of Sydney because she is hot. 

It should be no surprise that Sweeney is good blogging content, but the Sweeney ad has FOUR stories in The New York Post in the past two days. The Times, which is more sedate, has only one piece on the controversy. 

The media was thrilled when obese trans people were the face of fashion, and for years we were treated to celebrations of obese models as the face of fashion brands, and are still treated with celebrations of trans models fronting for makeup brands. 

Consumers were never attracted to these models, but Pravda loved it. And now Pravda is angry, and making Sydney Sweeney out to be a Nazi is a thing. 





Ordinary Americans, however, are not buying what they are selling. As much as the media will try to make this a thing, their only chance at success in doing so would be American Eagle apologizing and acknowledging that there is something wrong with selling sex appeal. 

I think the chances of that are low. The ads are working, and the cultural moment where the media can cancel people with ridiculous accusations is not in the rear-view mirror entirely–but it is under the wheels of the car after being hit by the Hummer of reality. 

At least I think so. I hope so. I am begging God that this is so. 


  • Editor’s Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.

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