Days after actress Sydney Sweeney appeared nude while juggling sports balls in advertisements for betting company Novig, criticism has emerged from female athletes, who argue the campaign diminishes the work and achievements of women in sport.
British sprinter Amy Hunt, who won a record four gold medals at last month’s European Championships in Birmingham, was among the first to respond. During a televised post-race interview at another event this week, she said: ‘It was incredible to be part of such an incredible race. Sydney Sweeney, this is what women’s sport looks like.
‘Obviously we’ve seen in the last 24 hours everything about the Sydney Sweeney ad, you know, and when you’re a woman in sport, it’s not pretty. It’s not glamorous. It’s not sexy all the time, definitely.’
The response raised questions about whether Hunt felt overshadowed by the actress’s campaign, particularly after finishing fourth in the 200m at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest on Sunday. Sweeney’s Novig advert had gone viral, attracting 37million Instagram views in only four days.
Yet Sweeney does not present herself as an athlete at any stage of the minute-long commercial. Her nearest nod to sporting ability comes as she playfully uses a tennis racquet to cover herself and shields her breasts with two rugby balls.
She is naked and plays with a football, basketball, tennis ball and even a snooker ball, but the advert’s apparent joke is directed at men spending money through betting apps rather than at women’s sport.
Nevertheless, the backlash continued, with Australian Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus among those expressing anger over the Novig campaign. She said: ‘I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this.
American actress Sydney Sweeney appeared in adverts for the sports betting firm Novig last week, prompting criticism from some athletes
Great Britain track athlete Amy Hunt was among those leading the criticism
‘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 very pious.
It’s as if these female athletes occupy some high moral ground that actresses like Sydney shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near. There is a horrible stench of snobbery around their reactions. And dare I say a hint of pure jealousy, even misogyny?
They may have honed their athletic skills for years, but they need to work on their sense of humour and respect for other successful women.
Sydney has worked her guts out for her career, starting acting at the age of 11. This girl from a very working-class background deserves other women’s admiration rather than their scorn, for she’s at the top of her game aged 29, and one of the most sought-after and highest-paid actresses in the world, having appeared in hit TV shows Euphoria and The White Lotus and several films.
She’s also a sassy, skilled businesswoman who’s so sure in herself she’s happy to court controversy. Remember that American Eagle jeans campaign last year when she appeared provocatively dressed in denim as a male voice intoned: ‘Sydney Sweeney has great jeans’?
The sisterhood went into meltdown, reached for the smelling salts and, somewhat risibly, accused the actress of promoting eugenics. Yet American Eagle’s sales soared.
Now she’s at it again, proving her commercial worth, weathering the backlash and watching the money roll in. It so happens Sydney is an equity partner in Novig.
We should all salute her – and for what it’s worth, as I wrote in my Mail column last Saturday after the ad appeared, I think she looks sensational.
Isn’t all this outrage an insult not just to Sydney but all working women? Isn’t the feminist mantra ‘a woman’s right to choose’?
Of course, Sydney hasn’t taken any of this lying down – well, actually, she is lying down in a couple of the shots – and has hit back by posting pictures online of famous sportswomen including Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe and Caroline Wozniacki posing semi-naked for promo pictures.
A short Google search and you’ll find many more. Crikey, several Olympic athletes have their own OnlyFans accounts such is their modesty! Four German Olympic female stars all posed together in the nuddy for the cover of their country’s edition of Playboy.
And I haven’t even mentioned the overtly sexy ‘sportswear‘ of the Olympic beach volleyball teams.
The good news for Sydney, as she bats off this attack on her character with such panache, is that the controversy has turned Novig, hitherto an unknown brand, into a household name.
Forget all the gold medals – she’s the real winner in this storm in a 32DD cup. And I hope she’s laughing all the way to the bank.