Sydney Sweeney has never been shy about leaning into her sex appeal for movie/TV roles (the recent final season of Euphoria, for example) and adverts, but the Madame Web star's latest campaign for the Novig sports trading app has incurred the ire of those within the sports industry.
The ad (see below) shows Sweeney with various sports balls, rackets, and uniforms placed provocatively over her mostly naked body, and has resulted in backlash from several female athletes who are concerned about the sexualization of women’s sports.
“I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this,” Ariarne Titmus, a four-time Olympic gold medalist for Australia, wrote on Instagram. “Not only is it a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft, but every woman who enjoys sports for what it really is – teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence, unity. How do we live in a world where monetising a woman’s body and sexualising women’s sport is still a thing?”
“There’s so much more to women in sport than how they look. It’s about their strength, skill, dedication, resilience, confidence and everything they’re capable of achieving,” said Australian sprinter Bree Rizzo.
British sprinter Amy Hunt used a BBC interview to call out the actress. “Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like,” she said after racing at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship. “Muscles. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears. This is a beautiful evening.”
According to Sweeney, the campaign is "about embracing a fun idea. The concept is simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports. The campaign brings that idea to life with confidence, humor and a playful edge.”
Many have pointed out the hypocrisy of putting Sweeney on blast for contributing to women in sports being taken less seriously when numerous female sports stars, including Ronda Rousey and Serena Williams, have stripped down for ad campaigns and photoshoots in the past (Sweeney has shared several of these photos in response).
Sweeney also faced intense backlash last year after posing for an American Eagle Jeans campaign titled, "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," when some associated the play on "genes" with white supremacy.
"I was honestly surprised by the reaction," the actress said at the time. "I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true."
"Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together," she continued. "I’m against hate and divisiveness. In the past my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press but recently I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it. So I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us."
Sweeney's decision to comment on the controversy didn't sit well with those who felt she did the right thing by refusing to acknowledge what many viewed as, frankly, a load of nonsense in the first place, but actors do tend to be put in these "damned if they do, damned if they don't" kind of situations when it's time to promote a movie.
What do you make of this latest "controversy"? Drop us a comment down below.