Sydney Sweeney’s Nude Novig Ad Sparks Backlash From Olympic Athletes: ‘Stop Sexualizing Women in Sport’
Sydney Sweeney has become something of a magnet for advertising controversy over the past year, with brand partnerships that generate headlines well beyond the products themselves. Her American Eagle “great jeans” campaign sparked a wave of criticism after online commentary accused its wordplay of echoing eugenics-adjacent language, a controversy that lingered for weeks after the ads first dropped.
Her newest campaign looks set to follow a similar path, though this time the backlash is coming directly from the world of sports itself. The ‘Euphoria’ star recently fronted a new ad for sports trading app Novig, appearing largely nude throughout the spot while using footballs, tennis rackets, and basketball hoops to cover herself as she mock-plays various sports.
That concept has drawn sharp criticism from female athletes, including several Olympians, who argue the campaign trivializes women’s sports by reducing them to a punchline about appearance rather than athletic achievement. British athlete Lucy Davis was among the first to speak out, writing that she didn’t know what Sweeney was doing but that it was time to stop sexualizing women in sport.
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Ariarne Titmus offered an even more pointed response, writing that she felt genuinely infuriated watching the ad and calling it a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft, as well as to those who value sports for its teamwork, dedication, and unity rather than its marketability. American gymnast Gracie Kramer and Australian swimmer Ella Palmateer also joined the criticism, with Palmateer telling CNN the ad was incredibly disappointing and damaging, particularly for young girls getting into sports, adding that women want to be valued for what they can do rather than what they look like.
Sweeney has not stayed silent amid the criticism. In a statement posted to Novig’s website, she described the campaign as embracing a fun, playful idea meant to cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports, framing the concept as one built around confidence and humor rather than any intent to diminish women’s athletics.
She also appeared to respond more directly to the backlash through her own Instagram Stories, sharing a series of covers from ESPN’s Body Issue, which has featured nude professional athletes across multiple sports for years. That move seemed to position her campaign within a broader tradition of athletic nudity in media rather than something entirely new or uniquely exploitative.
The controversy adds another chapter to a pattern that’s followed Sweeney through much of the past year, where brand deals meant to generate buzz have instead sparked broader cultural debates about representation and messaging. Novig’s ad has already racked up tens of millions of views across social platforms, ensuring the conversation around it shows little sign of slowing down regardless of which side of the debate proves louder in the days ahead.
For now, neither Sweeney nor Novig has issued a direct response addressing the specific criticism from Titmus, Davis, or the growing list of athletes who’ve joined the pushback, leaving the disagreement over the campaign’s intent and impact very much unresolved.
The reaction also hasn’t been entirely one-sided in tone. Some commentary online has pushed back on the athletes’ framing, arguing that Sweeney’s choice to participate in a suggestive ad campaign is a personal decision that shouldn’t automatically be read as an attack on women’s sports as a whole, while others have noted the long history of athletic nudity being used in fundraising and awareness campaigns without the same level of backlash.
That split in reaction underscores just how much the conversation has expanded beyond the original ad itself, touching on broader questions about who gets to decide what representation looks like in women’s sports and advertising more generally.
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