In the ever-turning wheel of celebrity controversy, Beyoncé has found herself at the center of yet another culture war, this time, not for her music or her activism, but for her jeans ad. Conservative pundit Megyn Kelly took to X (formerly Twitter) to publicly call out Queen Bey's latest Levi's campaign, branding the global superstar "fake," "enhanced," and "artificial." According to Kelly, Beyoncé's ad is the polar opposite of a recent American Eagle spot featuring actress Sydney Sweeney, and not in a good way.
"This is the opposite of the Sydney Sweeney ad," Kelly wrote. "Quite clearly there is nothing natural about Beyoncé."
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She didn't stop there. In classic Kelly fashion, she doubled down:
"Everything from her image, to her fame, to her success, to her look… is bought and paid for. Screams artificial, fake, enhanced, trying too hard."
The Sweeney ad, which riffed on the wordplay between "jeans" and "genes," has already drawn significant criticism. With lines like "My jeans are blue," and a clear nod to her blonde hair and blue eyes, some viewers felt the ad veered into problematic territory. Accusations of eugenicist undertones and Western beauty idealism started flying, with some even likening it to thinly veiled white supremacist messaging.
Former president Donald Trump weighed in with his trademark subtlety, praising the ad as "the HOTTEST out there. Go get 'em, Sydney!" Meanwhile, American Eagle stood firm behind the campaign, claiming the ad was about, as you might guess, the jeans.
Still, in the fallout, Beyoncé became an unexpected target. Instead of critiquing the ad that sparked controversy, Kelly turned her attention to the Black woman in the room, accusing her of being too polished, too curated, too something. There's
Whether or not one prefers Sweeney's soft Americana or Beyoncé's high-glam visuals is beside the point. What's being exposed here is how different standards are still applied to women, especially Black women, in the public eye.
When a white actress leans into traditional beauty cues, it's praised as "natural." When a Black woman showcases style, power, and politics, she's often labeled as "enhanced" and "fake." That double standard doesn't just live in the shadows, but it's alive and trending on X.
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