Fans Are Livid Over Dunkin’s New Ad—Here’s Why originally appeared on Parade.
Not that there’s any hope that this year’s wild antics will come to an end anytime soon, but it appears we’ve underestimated just how weird and wacky things really are. Outside of all the more serious geopolitical and economic catastrophes going on, each day it seems like we’re inching further toward the dystopian future outlined in George Orwell’s magnum opus, 1984.
The freedom of the press and media is seemingly under constant threat, and it’s getting more and more difficult to discern whether what you’re looking at is real or if it’s some composite figment of a generative AI’s data set. In short, things are feeling pretty strange, and our eyebrows are stuck in a perpetually suspended state. As if we needed even more things to side-eye, a recent string of ads released by two brands in entirely different industries has us second-guessing whether this all really is a simulation.
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Just days after American Eagle released its now-infamous “Great Jeans” campaign with breakout Euphoriastar Sydney Sweeney, Dunkin’ just dropped their very own ad featuring The Summer I Turned Pretty’sGavin Casalengo—and let’s just say the response hasn’t been great so far. Similar to the blunderous American Eagle ad, which strategically showcased the blonde-haired, blue-eyed actress musing about how her “jeans” were good because they were blue, Dunkin’s ad descends a similarly suggestive genetic superiority route.
Related: Dunkin’ Fans Are Running to Stock Up on ‘Lovely’ Seasonal Coffee Flavors
The ad sees Gavin relaxing by the pool with Dunkin’s new Golden Hour Refresher in hand as he expounds on the results of his recent color analysis. “This tan? Genetics. I just got my color analysis back, and guess what? Golden summer,” the actor says. Although not as clumsy or heavy-handed as American Eagle’s, the mention of genetics as it relates to beauty standards that often exclude people of color was met with swift and significant backlash.
Users across social media have posted standalone videos criticizing not only the timing of the ad but also the choice to use genetics as a seeming dog whistle in a campaign aimed at capturing the attention of Gen Z. “…it’s giving white is right, yeah no,” said one comment on Dunkin’s TikTok post. “CANCEL DUNKIN DONUTS NOW!” someone else said. Some users have even dubbed the string of ads outright propaganda.
So far, Dunkin’ hasn’t addressed the fervor, and it’s unclear if these will be the only ads we’ll see using similar messaging this year. On the bright side, though, DIY paradise Michaels seems to have some thoughts on the new campaign and even hopped into the comments themselves. “dunkin… we have thoughts 👀,” they said. Looks like there might be hope for us after all.
Related: Dunkin’s Summery New Refresher Flavors Officially Arrive on Menus
Fans Are Livid Over Dunkin’s New Ad—Here’s Why first appeared on Parade on Jul 31, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
