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A provocative advertisement featuring US actress Sydney Sweeney half-naked and strategically covered by sporting equipment has sparked a major backlash from Australian Olympians, with swimming great Ariarne Titmus declaring she was “infuriated” by the campaign.
A year after Sweeney became embroiled in controversy over an American Eagle campaign highlighting her “great jeans”, the actress is at the centre of another advertising storm over her work with Novig, a US sports prediction market, in which she is a shareholder.
The advertisement, reportedly shot in Australia, plays on Novig’s “just sports” pitch, with Sweeney appearing nude or topless as footballs, basketballs, hockey equipment and other sporting gear cover her body.
“The campaign was about embracing a fun idea,” Sweeney said in a statement on the company’s website. “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.”
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The advertisement, posted to Sweeney’s Instagram account, where she has more than 25 million followers, has prompted a flurry of Australian athletes to condemn what they say is the unnecessary sexualisation of women in sport.
Titmus, a four-time Olympic gold medallist, described the advertisement as “an absolute joke” and “the furthest thing from sport” in a comment on Sweeney’s post before expanding on her criticism on social media.
“I wasn’t going to share this as I didn’t want to give this any more attention. But, I can’t keep my mouth shut,” Titmus, who is on holidays in Europe, wrote on social media.
“I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this.
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“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 … the list goes on.
“But, how do we live in a world where monetising a woman’s body and sexualising women’s sport is still a thing? To take the mickey like this. I thought we were genuinely moving past this bullsh-t. What is this teaching the young men and women of today?”
The backlash has prompted a social media campaign in which prominent Australian female athletes have shared footage of themselves competing alongside the message: “This is what sport looks like.”
Australian Olympic swimmer Lani Pallister said she had “truly no words” before posting a montage of herself competing.
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“Don’t know what Sydney thinks sport looks like, but THIS is what sport looks like,” Pallister wrote.
Australian water polo Olympian Tilly Kearns followed suit, writing: “I absolutely f—ing hate Sydney Sweeney’s new sports ad.”
“Like what are we doing,” Kearns said. “So much worse than I imagined too.”
Daniel Kowalski, an Olympic swimming medallist at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, also weighed in.
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“This is a joke … you have a platform, if you really care…use it for good!” Kowalski wrote.
The Female Athlete Project, a podcast founded by Australian Olympic gold medallist Chloe Dalton, also criticised the campaign.
“We’re not entirely sure if ‘Novig’, or Sydney Sweeney and her PR team, have ever watched sports. But honestly, wow. It’s incredible they could fit so much misogyny in 40 seconds,” read a post on their Instagram account.
“Sport has long treated women’s bodies as commodities, and this objectification does nothing to support real women in sport.”
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Sweeney has since appeared to respond to her critics without directly addressing their complaints.
On Sunday, she shared images from ESPN’s famous Body Issue featuring nude or semi-nude athletes including Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey and Caroline Wozniacki, appearing to draw a comparison with her own campaign.
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Tom Decent is the chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.AdvertisementAdvertisement