{"id":770252,"date":"2026-09-14T10:18:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T10:18:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/770252\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T10:18:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T10:18:12","slug":"sydney-sweeney-responds-to-major-backlash-over-naked-ad-accused-of-sexualising-womens-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/770252\/","title":{"rendered":"Sydney Sweeney responds to major backlash over naked ad accused of \u2018sexualising women\u2019s sport\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sydney Sweeney<\/a> appears to have responded to the backlash over her sexualised ad campaign for sports<\/a> trading app Novig. <\/p>\n

Just over a year after the actor\u2019s controversial American Eagle campaign<\/a>, Sweeney is facing another barrage of criticism over her partnership with the newly launched Novig. <\/p>\n

Released on Wednesday (9 September), the ad features the Euphoria star in various states of undress as she promotes an array of sports such as ice hockey, American football, tennis, and basketball. <\/p>\n

Since its release, the ad campaign has been criticised as \u201cinappropriate\u201d and \u201cvulgar\u201d by some people, including several female athletes. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not what we want for our sports ads,\u201d said one person on social media, with others complaining that the video, which was shown on American TV, was unsuitable for children. <\/p>\n

\"SydneySydney Sweeney stars in controversial ad for Novig (Novig)<\/p>\n

British track star Amy Hunt<\/a> was among the athletes to hit out at the White Lotus star, using her post-race interview at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship to say: \u201cSydney Sweeney, this is what women\u2019s sport looks like!\u201d<\/p>\n

The 29-year-old has since hit back at critics on Instagram. On Sunday (13 September), she shared a series of Instagram Stories that highlighted female athletes who have posed nude in their careers. <\/p>\n

Sweeney posted nude campaigns of Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe and Caroline Wozniacki. She also highlighted male athletes who have done the same: Myles Garrett, Rob Gronokowski, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jason Kelce. <\/p>\n

It was apparently her own idea to strip off for the advertisements, according to Novig founder and CEO Jacob Fortinsky, who said Sweeney was drawn to Novig because it focuses solely on sports predictions, as opposed to subjects such as war, politics and underwear. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe said, \u2018I\u2019m uncomfortable with other platforms that have markets on what colour underwear I\u2019m going to wear. There\u2019s something clean about sports,\u2019\u201d Fortkinsky recalled in an interview with Front Office Sports. <\/p>\n

In a statement, Sweeney said the campaign was \u201cabout embracing a fun idea\u201d. She said: \u201cThe 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.\u201d <\/p>\n

In addition to fronting the platform\u2019s first ad campaign, Sweeney joined Novig as a strategic partner and equity holder. <\/p>\n

The \u201cplatform combines the mechanics of modern financial exchanges with a sports-first experience, creating a more efficient and transparent way for fans to trade on sports outcomes\u201d, as per a press release. <\/p>\n

\"AnotherAnother stilll from the Sydney Sweeney Novig ad (Novig)<\/p>\n

It is also \u201cthe only prediction market to maintain a 21+ age requirement\u201d, which the brand argues \u201c[sets] a higher standard for responsible participation as the category continues to grow\u201d.<\/p>\n

Hunt was not the only sports star to criticise the ads, with Australian Olympian water polo player Matilda Kearns writing that she \u201cabsolutely f***ing hates\u201d it. <\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s some real women\u2019s sports content,\u201d said Kearns, alongside footage of the Australian water polo team. <\/p>\n

Ex-Olympic runner Hannah Williams called it a \u201cdisgrace for women in sports\u201d who are \u201cconstantly trying to be respected in a male dominated field\u201d, while retired Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus said she was \u201cinfuriated\u201d by this \u201cbulls***\u201d marketing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sexualisation of women in sport (and in life) is an ongoing issue that most (if not, all) women face,\u201d wrote Olympic weightlifting coach Danielle Bagacay, adding: \u201cI hope whatever Sydney Sweeney is trying to portray will be overshadowed by other women speaking\/posting against the brand campaign.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"SydneySydney Sweeney has been criticised by athletes for the Novig ad (Novig)<\/p>\n

American gymnast Gracie Kramer, Australian swimmer Lani Pallister and track sprinter Bree Rizzo also responded to the campaign. <\/p>\n

The controversy follows a year on from Sweeney\u2019s American Eagle \u201cGreat Jeans\u201d campaign<\/a>, which was heavily criticised for appearing to use the language of eugenics with Sweeney saying in a now-deleted video: \u201cGenes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the subsequent months, the actor said she was \u201csurprised\u201d by the reaction, stating: \u201cI\u2019m against hate and divisiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":770253,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[96,59,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-770252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-gb","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=770252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770252\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/770253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=770252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=770252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=770252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}