Meet Katseye’s Lara Raj, the LGBT star in an inspiring new Gap ad
Before she was catapulted to international fame with her girl group, she starred in a campaign with Michelle Obama
During the 90-second video, the group’s members Daniela, Lara, Manon, Megan, Sophia and Yoonchae dance to Kelis’ 2003 song “Milkshake”.
Katseye is a Los Angeles-based girl group that debuted in 2024 under Hybe Corporation (the company behind K-pop giants BTS) and American record label Geffen Records. They are known for their diversity, with members hailing from the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland and the United States.
The comparison of the two ads aside, fans of Katseye also applauded the clear diversity of the girl group. HoliChic fashion designer and CEO Megha Rao shared an image of member Lara, who is of Indian descent, on Instagram, writing: “Was doing some back to school shopping today at the mall with my daughter and I stopped to take a picture of this @gap ad, a stunning Indian model with a nose ring, bindi and om necklace ...
“For me, it was a powerful reminder that our kids get to grow up with the kind of representation seven-year-old me could only dream of. That little girl who always wondered why a face like hers was never in magazines gets to raise a daughter who takes it for granted. That’s progress.”
Lara herself responded in the comments saying: “This made me cry, it was always my dream to have Indian, especially South Indian representation as a little girl and I always longed for that. It’s my No 1 mission to make sure brown girls growing up and the entire South Asian community feels uplifted and powerful and confident.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Katseye’s Lara Raj.