By observing media artifacts, intercultural communication scholars are able to raise questions about representation and symbolic annihilation. To illustrate the notion of symbolic annihilation, I bring an Adidas press release kit for a 2026 World Cup sportswear campaign featuring a new version of the Mexican men’s national soccer team jersey made by artisan garment workers from rural Mexico, focusing on a single photograph from the press kit. 

Symbolic annihilation describes the lack of representation of women and marginalized groups in media content and defines the existing sparse representations as marginal, trivial, or victimized. Specifically, this image shows how dominant institutions (like Adidas and FIFA) neutralize garment-making traditions originating from indigenous Mexicans by trivializing the photographed Mexican woman’s garment artistry. Specifically, the image does not convey the woman’s technical skill and reveals little about her creative process, effectively neutralizing her by rendering her to a beaming smile brandishing the jersey. Notably, the minimalist set is comprised of earth tones, with low key light, and without a single piece of modern equipment or machinery. 

While I am not a garment worker in Mexico, I am a Mexican living in New York City, and this lived experience informs how I perceive the press about the 2026 World Cup. As a NYC local, I am bracing for impending overcrowding and unkempt states of the spaces I deem culturally significant to me. This mindset informs my skepticism about how the photograph from the Adidas press kit frames the commercialization of a culturally respected tradition. 

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