Sydney Sweeney‘s latest advertisement for the sports trading platform Novig is drawing criticism from female athletes worldwide. Sweeney recently took part in the “Just Sports” campaign for Novig that quickly went viral for all the wrong reasons. This is not the first time the actress has invited backlash with an ad. Last year, she sparked public debate with her American Eagle jeans campaign.
Female athletes are pushing back on Novig’s portrayal of women in sport
Female athletes are calling out Sydney Sweeney online for her recent over-sexualized sports ad for Novig. Sweeney recently partnered with the sports trading platform and posted a video on her Instagram in which she appeared nude. She was also seen using basketballs, footballs, and other sports equipment to cover herself. At the end of the video, Sweeney states, “No betting on wars or deaths, and no politics. Just you, your takes, and sports.”
However, the campaign didn’t sit well with numerous female sports stars who accused Sweeney of sexualizing women’s sport. One of the athletes who raised their concern with the ad was retired Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus, who took to her Instagram Story and stated that the ad felt like “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.”
Former UCLA gymnast Gracie Kramer also reacted to Sweeney’s campaign by posting a video of herself taking part in various sports events. She added the text, “idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like.” The video has now started a trend online, with other women joining in and sharing similar videos while calling the actress out. She also told NBC News that it was “incredibly empowering” to see so many people hop on the trend.
Olympic water polo player Tilly Kearns also posted a video on Instagram and mentioned that she hates Sweeney’s new ad. Moreover, multi-sport athlete Chloe Dalton’s organization, the Female Athlete Project, shared its take on the ad and slammed Novig and Sweeney for showcasing “so much misogyny” in the ad.
