December 18, 2025

Back on July 23, 2025, American Eagle dropped that “Great Jeans” campaign with Sydney Sweeney. You know the one — the line about “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring… My jeans are blue.” Cute pun? Maybe. Tone-deaf? Absolutely. Especially when you think about the history that’s wrapped up in “genes” and who gets to look like they’re the default standard of normal.

The backlash came fast. People called it out — some said it hinted at eugenics; others said it was about genetic superiority, some hinted that it was overthinking. But whatever side you landed on, the fact is: the campaign landed on some thin ice and stayed there.  Months went by. Political figures jumped in. Critiques kept coming. And Sweeney? She stayed silent, until a few weeks ago, when she finally spoke in interviews. And what did she say? Surprise at the backlash, love for the brand, no support for the negative interpretations… and of course, the classic fallback:  “I’m about bringing people together.”

Cue the eye roll because every time a white person gets called on something that reads racist, this is the go-to line. And it's time that we call this shit out.

Look.  “I’m about bringing people together” isn’t really a thought. It’s a reflex, a preloaded PR move that white folks pull out the second someone calls them out. It’s meant to sound soothing, even noble, but underneath it’s just a way to avoid responsibility. What it does is simple: it centers their intentions over the impact, frames them as the reasonable, peace-seeking party, and subtly turns the critique back on the person raising it. All the while, it feels polite and harmless, which is why it works so well. But strip away the packaging and it’s just a dodge — soft, polished, and evasive.

Here’s where the “bringing people together” line really falls apart. Because if we’re going to talk about unity, let’s check the receipts. This country wasn’t built on bringing people together. It was built on systems intentionally designed to divide people, to keep them separate and to enforce (in some cases brutally) who belongs where and who doesn’t. Slavery, Jim Crow, redlining, segregated schools, housing discrimination, mass incarceration — the list goes on. Nothing about this was accidental. And yet, whenever someone like Sydney Sweeney drops the unity line, it’s treated like a moral statement instead of the dodge it really is. It’s impossible to take seriously when the very structures around you have been upheld for centuries to enforce separation.

This is where it gets really manipulative. The “I’m about bringing people together” line doesn’t just dodge accountability — it shifts the problem onto the person pointing out the harm. Suddenly, you’re the one overreacting, making things divisive, reading too much into it. No, the problem was there all along. The campaign, the comment, the image — they put it there. Race was already in the room. History was already in the room. And yet you’re being told that you are the one causing the division. That’s gaslighting. It’s a way to make you question your own perception while the person responsible stands in comfort and innocence, completely untouched by the impact of their words or actions.

White folks lean on the Unity Defense because it protects them in the moment. It shields their self-image and lets them avoid consequences. Saying, “I’m about bringing people together” is easier than admitting they caused harm, didn’t understand the context, or need to change their behavior. It gives them a way to look moral without doing any of the hard work — the reflection, the repair, the accountability. And honestly, many have never been taught to sit in discomfort or take responsibility, so when the heat comes, unity becomes their emergency exit.

Real unity isn’t about feelings or intentions. It isn’t a catchy soundbite or a PR line. It’s not something you can declare and call it done. Unity requires truth, accountability, and a willingness to sit with the discomfort of what actually happened. It means facing the harm, owning it, and taking steps to repair it. It means listening without defense, learning without excuses, and changing behavior when necessary. Anything less than that isn’t unity — it’s just pretending, and pretending never brings people together.

When a celebrity, influencer, or anyone else defaults to “I’m about bringing people together” after causing harm, it’s not a philosophy. It’s a strategy. A way to avoid looking at the impact of their actions while keeping the spotlight on themselves. Unity without accountability is just denial dressed up to look good. Real togetherness doesn’t come from PR lines or soft language — it comes from facing the truth, taking responsibility, and doing the work to repair the harm. If anything, the people pointing out the harm — refusing to be gaslit or silenced — are the ones actually trying to bring people together. Because true unity isn’t about comfort. It’s about honesty, responsibility, and action.