Sydney Sweeney has seemingly responded to the backlash surrounding her new Novig sports advert, and it completely misses the point. The Euphoria actress has been facing criticism since the launch of Novig’s “Just Sports” campaign. In the advert, released on 9 September, Sydney Sweeney appears nude throughout much of the campaign, using footballs, basketballs, tennis equipment, hockey gear and other sporting props to cover herself. At one point, she tells viewers, “Think you know sports? Prove it. Novig is just sports. So they wanted to show just sports.” The campaign is deliberately cheeky. That much is clear. And Sydney has defended the idea herself. Speaking to Complex, she called it “a very simple and playful idea” which was designed to “really bring the concept of ‘just sports’ to life”. She also said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, “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.” Since the advert was released, female athletes have criticised the campaign. Many athletes have also posted videos showing themselves participating in their respective sports with the caption, “Respectfully, Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sports really look like.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bree Rizzo OLY (@breeemasters) Now, rather than directly addressing the backlash, Sydney has shared photos of famous athletes who have also posed naked. On Sunday, 13 September, Sydney posted a series of Instagram Stories featuring images from ESPN’s former Body Issue, with the message, “It’s game dayy.” The photos included athletes such as Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, Caroline Wozniacki, Myles Garrett, Rob Gronkowski, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jason Kelce. Sydney hasn’t said that the posts were a response to the backlash. But the timing certainly makes it look like she was making a point. Sharing photos of Serena Williams, Megan Rapinoe and other athletes who have posed naked does make a point. There is obviously nothing inherently shocking about an athlete appearing nude in a photoshoot. The ESPN Body Issue, for example, featured athletes posing without clothes while focusing on their bodies and athleticism. Credit: Sydney Sweeney/Instagram But there is a fairly important difference between those shoots and what Sydney is doing here. Those people are athletes. Sydney is an actress and, in this particular campaign, she is advertising a sports prediction market. That is part of why much of the criticism centres on the argument that the advert reinforces the sexualisation of women rather than highlighting their sporting ability. So posting pictures of naked athletes doesn’t necessarily answer that criticism. Maybe that was her way of saying that nudity and sport have existed together in advertising and editorial photography for years. Maybe she was simply celebrating athletes she likes. Or maybe, as many people have assumed, she was quietly making a point about the backlash. We don’t actually know. But what we do know is that nobody needs reminding that athletes have posed naked before. The question was never whether women can be naked and involved in sport. It was why, when selling sport, the advert chose to make their bodies the main event. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Post navigation Next storyPrevious story
