Sydney Sweeney is facing serious backlash online. The actress has reportedly lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers following controversy over a sports marketing campaign. The Euphoria star saw a dramatic drop in her follower count over two days as criticism of the campaign continued to spread online.
According to social media analytics firm Social Blade, Sweeney gained around 50,000 followers during the first three days after the campaign launched on September 9. That growth quickly reversed, with 136,848 followers leaving her account on Sunday and another 68,000 unfollowing on Monday.
The decline represents about 1% of Sweeney’s roughly 26 million followers. However, the sudden change has highlighted the strong reaction to the campaign, as reported by Variety. The advertisement was created for sports-prediction platform Novig, with Sweeney being an equity holder and strategic partner.
The campaign features Sweeney posing nude while using sports equipment, including footballs, tennis rackets, and a basketball hoop, to cover parts of her body. The advertisement promotes Novig as a platform focused on “just sports.”
Why Sydney Sweeney’s ad sparked such a strong reaction
Much of the criticism came from female athletes who objected to the way the campaign presented women and sports. Several argued that using nudity to market a sports product supports the idea that women’s bodies should be used to attract attention, rather than focusing on their athletic ability and achievements.
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Ariarne Titmus also criticized the advertisement. She described it as deeply frustrating for women who have spent years developing their athletic careers. Additionally, British sprinter Amy Hunt addressed Sweeney, emphasizing the physical work and dedication behind female athletes’ achievements.
Sweeney has defended the campaign as a playful and confident creative idea. As the controversy grew, she shared historic nude covers from ESPN’s The Body Issue, including editions featuring athletes such as Serena Williams and Megan Rapinoe.
However, critics argued that those images were created to celebrate athletes and their physiques, while Sweeney’s campaign uses nudity to sell a sports-prediction product.
The debate continued across social media, and reactions kept coming even days after the upload.
Originally reported on ComingSoon.
