After Sydney Sweeney, 'Summer I Turned...' star leads 'genetics' ad
What's the story
Gavin Casalegno, the star of The Summer I Turned Pretty, has found himself at the center of a controversy over his recent advertisement for Dunkin'. The commercial, which promotes the Golden Hour Refresher drink, has been criticized by netizens who claim it promotes Eurocentric beauty standards. This comes on the heels of a similar backlash against Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle advertisement.
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Critics slam ad for reinforcing Eurocentric beauty standards
In the Dunkin' commercial, Texas-born Casalegno is seen poolside declaring himself the "King of Summer." He attributes his tan to "genetics" and says drinking the Golden Hour Refresher makes him feel like the sun finds him. Critics argue that this reinforces Eurocentric beauty standards (light skin tone, blonde hair, blue/green eyes) and promotes eugenics by implying that certain physical traits are superior. One X user questioned, "What's up with these creepy ads lately?"
Script scrutiny
'Word salad,' users said about the script of the ad
The controversy has also sparked a debate over the script of Casalegno's Dunkin' ad. Many Reddit users criticized it as "word salad," questioning the connection between genetics, color analysis, sunshine, and drinking Dunkin' drinks. Elena Cavender from AdWeek explained that while the mention of genetics in the Dunkin' ad is subtler than in Sweeney's American Eagle ad, it still praises traits associated with white beauty ideals.
Defense
Some fans defend Casalegno amid controversy
Despite the criticism, some fans of Casalegno and The Summer I Turned Pretty have defended the ad. They argue that the negative comments are forced and a stretch, especially for those who may not watch the show. One Twitter user explained that if this ad had been released before Sweeney's controversial advertisement, it wouldn't have sparked such a conversation. Casalegno has not publicly responded to the controversy.
Previous controversy
Similar controversy faced by Sweeney with American Eagle ad
This controversy is similar to the backlash against Sweeney's American Eagle advertisement. In her fall campaign titled "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," she talks about "genes" and "jeans," leading to allegations of promoting eugenics. Critics argue that both ads use language that can be interpreted as a nod to eugenics, a pseudoscience broadly defined as "the use of selective breeding to improve the human race." AE dismissed the critique, saying 70% of their customers had liked the campaign.