Sydney Sweeney’s recent advertisement for sports betting platform Novig has sparked significant backlash on social media, resulting in a notable decline in her Instagram follower count. The campaign features the Euphoria star appearing nude, strategically covered by pieces of sports equipment.
Sweeney Defends Campaign Concept
In a statement released following the advertisement’s debut, Sweeney addressed the creative direction behind the campaign.
“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.”
Follower Count Fluctuates Amid Controversy
According to data tracked by Variety, Sweeney initially gained approximately 50,000 followers in the days after the ad launched. However, she subsequently lost roughly 200,000 followers as criticism mounted. Despite the decline, the actor maintains a substantial following of approximately 25 million on the platform, suggesting the overall impact remains relatively minimal. Sweeney has since shared additional clips from the advertisement, indicating she is not deterred by the negative response.
Olympian and Industry Professionals Voice Criticism
The advertisement drew sharp criticism from several prominent figures, including four-time Olympic gold medalist Ariarne Titmus.
“I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this. How do we live in a world where monetising a woman’s body and sexualising women’s sport is still a thing?”
Marissa Womack, manager of game day promotions and programming for the Harrisburg Senators minor league baseball team, also condemned the campaign. Womack emphasized her critique stemmed from structural industry concerns rather than personal insecurity.
“It’s about having passions and joy working in this industry and when the only representation is sexualization, you see less and less young women wanting to pursue this industry!”
History of Provocative Advertising
This is not Sweeney’s first venture into revealing advertising. She has previously posed for her own lingerie brand, Syrn. Additionally, an American Eagle jeans commercial featuring the actor generated significant backlash earlier in her career. In that advertisement, Sweeney stated:
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”
Sweeney later described the negative reaction to the American Eagle campaign as definitely was a surprise
, noting she was largely shielded from the response while filming on location without access to her phone.
LADbible has contacted representatives for Sydney Sweeney and Novig for further comment.
