Sydney Sweeney has lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers after she was accused of sexualising women's sport by posing naked in a promotional video for the betting platform Novig.
The 29-year-old Euphoria actress sparked the backlash after releasing the advert, in which she uses various pieces of sports equipment to cover herself up. Sweeney shared the ad on her own Instagram account last Wednesday, where it has since racked up 1.1 million likes.
But in the three days after the commercial dropped, her follower count told a different story. Her numbers first rose by 50,000, but by Sunday she had lost 136,848 followers, according to data from the social media analytics firm Social Blade. By Monday, another 68,000 people had unfollowed her. Even so, the losses amount to less than 1 per cent of her more than 25 million followers.
Backlash from women's sport
The advert has drawn widespread condemnation from across the world of women's sport, in particular from female Olympians.
British sprinter Amy Hunt, who became the first athlete to win four gold medals at a single European Championships earlier this year, used her post-race interview at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship to criticise the advert. After finishing fourth in her 200m race, the 24-year-old said: "It was incredible to be part of such an incredible race. Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like. 21.4 [seconds, the winning time of Melissa Jefferson-Wooden], muscles, hard work, sweat, blood, tears. This is a beautiful evening."
Former Australian Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus, a four-time gold medallist, also weighed in on social media. "I can't describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this," she wrote. "Not only is it a kick in the face to every woman who had dedicated her life to perfecting her craft, but every woman who enjoys sports for what it really is: teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence, unity. How do we live in a world where monetising a woman's body and sexualising women's sport is still a thing?"
Sweeney's response
Sweeney addressed the backlash in a statement last week, saying: "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, humor and a playful edge."
Novig founder and chief executive Jacob Fortinsky revealed that Sweeney, who holds an equity stake in the company, had pushed to appear nude in the campaign.
According to Fortinsky, Sweeney was drawn to the platform because it focuses strictly on sports predictions, unlike other platforms that let users bet on a broader range of topics. "She said, 'I'm uncomfortable with other platforms that have markets on what colour underwear I'm going to wear,'" he recalled in an interview with Front Office Sports.
He added: "Sydney is great at captivating audiences and being the center of attention. In some sense, it forces us into the national discourse."
Sweeney has doubled down on her stance since the criticism began, sharing a series of Instagram Stories highlighting female athletes who have posed nude, including Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe and Caroline Wozniacki posing for magazines. She also pointed out that some male athletes have previously posed nude.
Not the first controversy
This is not the first time an advertising campaign featuring Sweeney has sparked fierce backlash. Last year she starred in a controversial American Eagle jeans commercial that some deemed racist over a pun linking "jeans" and "genes."
The campaign's tagline read: "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans." In an accompanying video, she said: "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour... my genes are blue."
Critics said the advert promoted eugenics, while US President Donald Trump showed his support for the actress and the brand. Critics also accused American Eagle of echoing eugenicist language around "good genes" and "genetic superiority," claiming it appealed to right-wing and white-nationalist groups online.
Sweeney told GQ that she found it "surreal" that the scandal grew large enough to attract attention from the White House. "I did a jean ad... I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans," she said. "All I wear are jeans. I'm literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life."
In August, American Eagle defended the campaign, insisting it "always was about the jeans, her jeans, her story."
