It seems that one of the only predictable things left in this chaotic world is Sydney Sweeney managing to insult women worldwide through an oversexualised advertisement.
A second ad campaign for Novig, an American betting company, has launched this week just weeks after Sweeney’s topless campaign for the sports betting company triggered widespread backlash from the sporting community. This one is no better than the last.
In the brief clip, Sweeney e is seen wearing nothing but white underwear as she wanders around an empty sports stadium. “There are grown men making spreadsheets to bet on what colour underwear I’m wearing,” Sweeney says in the opening seconds of the ad, before listing controversial markets offered on other prediction market platforms.
The previous controversial advertisement depicted Sweeney completely naked, covered only by pieces of sports equipment. Backlash was loud and international, with powerful responses from female athletes.
American gymnast Gracie Kramer was among the first, posting a reel of actual athletes captioned “this is what a woman in sport looks like… Because it really is that deep,” kicking off a
trend that spread across social media. The Australian Institute of Sport joined in with its own post: “THIS is sport,” which featured similar graphics.
Swimmer Ariarne Titmus wrote “I can’t keep my mouth shut”, describing herself as “infuriated” and calling the ad “an absolute joke”. She called it a “kick in the face” to women who have dedicated their lives to their craft, and asked what it teaches “young men and women of today”. Her message ended simply: “Sydney Sweeney, do better.”
Water polo silver medallist Tilly Kearns posted highlights of her own career, writing “here’s some real women sports content”. Hockeyroos goalkeeper Joc Bartram said the ad “feels so out of touch” and urged fans to back female athletes instead of a “tasteless campaign”. Swimmer Lani Pallister said she had “truly no words”.
Boxer Skye Nicolson posted her own highlight reel with the message “Respectfully, Sydney Sweeney, this is sports”. She acknowledged the outrage was giving the campaign “exactly what they wanted”, but said companies “need to do better”.
These are just a few examples of just how angry the world was, and rightfully so.
Sweeney appeared to respond by posting nude covers of athletes from ESPN’s Body Issue, including Serena Williams and Ronda Rousey, followed by her Novig shots. Critics were quick to note the difference: those images showed real athletes and were far less overtly sexual.
The criticism has since spread beyond sport. Even major brands such as Powerade told audiences it wanted to “reinforce what’s always been at the heart of our brand: athletes”, posting
large billboard campaigns depicting strong women in sports. Actress Sharon Stone, Sweeney’s Euphoria co-star, said women’s sport shouldn’t be denigrated “to get men’s attention
so they can gamble”.
Safe to say, women haven’t received this latest ad well.
The only saving grace of this new ad compared to the last is that it is much shorter. Yet, in 30 seconds, Sweeney and Novig manage to completely undermine women in sports
once again.
The joke at the centre of the new ad is that Sweeney is in on it. By reciting the spreadsheets and markets men are betting on, she positions herself as the commentator rather than the
subject. But she is still appearing in nothing but white underwear to sell a betting product, and self-awareness doesn’t change that. Acknowledging the objectification while continuing to profit from it challenges nothing, and it does little for the women who have spent their careers fighting to be taken seriously in sport.
Marketing expert Dee Madigan said the brand had adopted a key ideology: “the cheapest media buy in the world is outrage”. On Today, she said the brand was “definitely winning” because of the ad’s reach, as it gained new users and raised funding. Novig might be pushing ‘any publicity is good publicity’, because while the ads are completely blowing up, it’s definitely not for the right reasons.