Washington DC [US], September 15 (ANI): Actor Sydney Sweeney's new advertisement for a sports platform has been garnering headlines after it recieved backlash from women athletes accusing the actress of allegedly sexualising women's sports.
The 'Euphoria' actress recently stripped down for a steamy new ad for sports trading app Novig, going nude and covering parts of her with a variety of sports equipment. Just days after the ad dropped, several athletes and Olympic champions took to their social media to speak out against the campaign.
British athlete Lucy Davis shared a video on her Instagram handle to criticise the new advertisement about women's sports featuring Sydney Sweeney.
She wrote, "I don’t know what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but it’s 2026. Stop sexualizing women in sport. I think it’s rallied the girls to come together. This was never about judging another woman’s choices - it’s about the bigger conversation around how we choose to represent women in sport. and clearly, it’s one a LOT of people care about."
She continued, "We’ve got to always think about those young girls, always. Sport changed my life in so many ways, and the thought of 64% of girls walking away from it breaks my heart!! We can be part of changing that."
According to Variety, Ariarne Titmus, a former Australian swimming champion and four-time Olympic gold medal winner, wrote “I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this.”
She added, "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?”
Water polo Olympic silver medallist Tilly Kearns succinctly wrote, “I absolutely fking hate Sydney Sweeney’s new sports ad. Like what are we doing, so much worse than I imagined too. Here’s some real women's sports content.”
Responding to the backlash, Sydney Sweeney defended her decision to star in the sports advertisement, which has since sparked controversy.
In a statement on the Novig website, Sweeney said: “The campaign was 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, humour and a playful edge,” as quoted by Variety.
The star also appeared to respond to the backlash by posting to her Instagram story a series of covers from the ESPN Body Issue, which featured naked athletes.
According to Variety, the Novig commercial comes just over a year after American Eagle’s hugely controversial “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” campaign,” which prompted a wave of criticism for appearing to use the language of eugenics.
In a now-deleted video, Sweeney said: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye colour. My jeans are blue,” as quoted by Variety.
Months after the American Eagle ad, Sweeney responded by saying she was “surprised by the reaction” and that she was “against hate and divisiveness.”
On the work front, the actress was last seen in the film 'Housemaid'. It was released in 2025. The sequel of the film has been confirmed by the makers. (ANI)
