By Layla Bazan | Photographer
Sydney Sweeney is no stranger when it comes to controversy. From the shows or movies that she has starred in she has raised eyebrows for many, but her latest advertisement is starting to raise questions on whether she went too far.
In her latest ad for Novig, a sports gambling company, you see a pan out of Sweeney almost completely nude with only various sports balls and athletic gear covering her most intimate parts. This ad continued an already sensitive narrative of women not being taken seriously in sports.
As someone who is pursuing sports media as a career, I believe that this type of advertising can cause so much harm to the image for women in the world of sports. Women have worked so hard to gain credibility and respect in this male dominated industry, and I believe advertisements such as this one can, and will, undermine that process.
Sweeney was quickly called out by not only athletes but also women who work in sports marketing, sports media, athletic trainers and more. Many women who work and partake in sports, were angered by the campaign and believed that her ad has set back women who are involved in the sports world.
“It’s not a joke when your whole life is centered around being a female athlete and being sexualized for not being taken seriously,” said Olympic Skier Cassidy Gray in a TikTok post.
Although she upset many, some women still came to her defense stating that her ad is no different from ESPN’s magazine ”The Body Issue,” where athletes, both male and female, pose in the nude to show off their athleticism, scars and progress over the course of being an athlete.
Sweeney would build off this tactic and post the magazine covers on her Instagram stories, which led to her getting even more backlash with people stating that she was selling her body, not selling athleticism.
World Champion Boxer, Skye Nicolson would go on to comment for ABC News Live, “There’s a big difference between looking ‘sexy’ because you do sports compared to using sex to sell ‘sports.’”
Over the course of the drama she would lose more than 200,000 followers on her social media platforms.
Following this, a video of Sweeney from 2021 would also resurface. Taken from an Instagram live, in regards to her American Eagle campaign, you can see Sweeney being very emotional about the backlash that she was receiving from her ad.
“I think it’s really important for people to see how words actually affect people,” said Sweeney.
As that statement resurfaced many women took it upon themselves to restate, from her own words, that words in fact do affect people and that’s why she should’ve never made the sports ad in the first place.
Though her actions may seem harmless in her eyes, she ignited a frenzy and passion that women in this field have for their jobs to prove that they are more than their bodies.
Sweeney left a big statement on how women could be portrayed in the sports world. Many women rightfully took the initiative to start sharing about their roles and contributions, proving that they aren’t just a pretty face, but a vital factor to the world of sports.
