<\/p>\n
Sydney Sweeney\u2019s latest ad was supposed to be about sports\u2014or was it? Late last week, sports prediction platform Novig posted a new campaign featuring the actress nude or nearly nude, posing strategically with balls and other sports gear covering certain parts of her body. And no shocker here: It\u2019s amassed more than 39 million views in five days.<\/p>\n
Now, what seems like the entire internet, including several key athletes, is in an uproar about the 42-second commercial, which has sparked a much bigger conversation about women\u2019s bodies, sexuality and what it really means to celebrate the female form. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Sweeney, who is a strategic partner of and equity holder in Novig, describes the campaign as \u201ca very simple and playful idea\u201d about sports. But some female athletes don\u2019t see it that way. For many, the issue isn\u2019t the nudity itself, but rather the longstanding tendency to use women\u2019s bodies to sell or attract attention to sports while the women who actually compete are still fighting to have their strength, skill and accomplishments recognized.<\/p>\n
And rather than simply criticize the actress, several athletes have responded by turning the conversation back toward their own bodies, and what those bodies have accomplished. <\/p>\n
One of the most widely shared responses comes from British sprinter Amy Hunt, who addressed the campaign after competing in the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest. \u201cSydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like,\u201d Hunt said, pointing to the physical reality behind elite athletic performance.<\/p>\n
Three-time All-American gymnast Gracie Kramer made a similar statement on social media, sharing footage of herself competing alongside the caption: \u201cIdk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like.\u201d Yesterday, she wrote on her Instagram Stories: \u201cYou guys, I think I just started a trend\u2026actually I started a whole f**king movement. I am so hyped to see all my female athletes showing off their badass abilities. LFG!!!\u201d<\/p>\n
Australian Olympic sprinter Bree Masters also joined in, posting images of herself as an athlete and writing, \u201cRespectfully Sydney Sweeney\u2026This is what women in sports really look like.\u201d<\/p>\n
Australian four-time Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus posted a response to the campaign on her Instagram Stories. \u201cI wasn\u2019t going to share this as I didn\u2019t want to give this any more attention. But I can\u2019t keep my mouth shut. I can\u2019t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this. Not only is this 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\u2014teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence, unity\u2026the list goes on.\u201d<\/p>\n
The posts are becoming something bigger than a critique of one advertisement. Athletes are sharing videos and photos of themselves training, competing, sweating and celebrating, clapping back in the way you\u2019d expect a professional athlete to do so. These reactions get at the heart of the body-confidence conversation. <\/p>\n
For decades, women have been encouraged to think about their bodies primarily in terms of how they look. In athletics, that attention can feel particularly pronounced: the same muscles, shoulders and strong physiques that make a woman exceptional at her sport can also become something she\u2019s judged for aesthetically.<\/p>\n
And yes, female athletes have posed nude before, but again, that\u2019s not the issue being raised here (and Sweeney is not an athlete). The distinction at the center of the backlash is that a photograph celebrating an athlete\u2019s body, power and physical accomplishments is a different proposition from using a conventionally sexy female body as the visual hook for a sports-betting campaign.<\/p>\n
Daniel Hong, a fitness professional and father of two girls, posted an Instagram reel to share his perspective, which extends beyond the professional athlete space. \u201cSeeing this whole Sydney Sweeney controversy just confirms what I already knew I have to teach my daughters sooner than later, and it actually has very little to do with [this] ad. My girls are gonna grow up in a world where they\u2019re going to learn really quick that attention has value, especially for girls. Appearance can get you attention: likes, comments, followers, money, opportunities. What I want them to understand is that attention and value are not the same thing. I believe my responsibility as their dad is to help them build so much evidence of everything else they are, that their appearance never has to be the main thing that gives them their self-worth.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n