Athletes condemn Novig ad featuring Sydney Sweeney in minimal clothing
Australian athletes criticized a Novig sports-prediction advertisement that shows actress Sydney Sweeney scantily clad with sports equipment, saying it sexualizes women and harms young girls interested in sport.
A Novig advertising campaign released on Wednesday shows actress Sydney Sweeney in nude or minimally clothed poses with footballs, a tennis racket, a baseball bat and a basketball. The short video, posted on Instagram reels, amassed 37 million views in four days.
Australian surfer Felicity Palmateer told CNN the ad is "very damaging" for female athletes and young girls, adding that women want to be valued for their abilities rather than appearance. Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus said she felt "infuriated" and called the ad "a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft." Swimmer Lani Pallister posted a training video with a caption contrasting the ad’s depiction of sport, while boxer Skye Nicholson urged companies to stop sexualising women in sport.
Sweeney later posted images from ESPN The Magazine’s former “Body Issue,” which featured athletes in artistic nude photography. She has not directly addressed the criticism, though a previous interview with GQ noted she was surprised by the reaction but did not apologize.
CNN contacted Novig and Sweeney’s representatives for comment.