Amy Hunt Fires Back at Sydney Sweeney's Nude Sports Ad
British sprinter Amy Hunt criticized Sydney Sweeney's nude Novig ad, saying real women's sport isn't always "pretty" or "sexy."
Sydney Sweeney's latest ad campaign just picked up another high-profile critic, and this one came straight off the track. British sprinter Amy Hunt used a post-race interview to call out the actress over her nude campaign for sports trading app Novig, adding her voice to a growing list of athletes pushing back.
Hunt made her comments to the BBC after finishing fourth in the 200m final at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, where she clocked a season-best 22.10 seconds. Referencing race winner Melissa Jefferson-Wooden's time of 21.47 seconds, Hunt didn't hold back: "Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like. 21.4. Muscles. Hard work, blood, sweat, tears." She added that being a woman in sport "is not pretty. It's not glamorous. It's not sexy all the time, definitely."
The Novig campaign, tagged "Just Sports," features Sweeney posing nearly nude with footballs, a tennis racket, and other sports gear covering her body. It's sparked a wave of criticism from elite female athletes. Australian swimming champion Ariarne Titmus called it "a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft." Water polo Olympic silver medalist Tilly Kearns and boxer Skye Nicolson also weighed in, with Nicolson drawing a distinction between looking sexy while playing sport versus "using sex to sell sport."
Sweeney responded on Novig's website, saying the campaign "was about embracing a fun idea," and later shared a carousel of nude and semi-nude ESPN Body Issue-style photos of athletes like Serena Williams and Megan Rapinoe on her Instagram, seemingly defending the concept.
This isn't Sweeney's first brush with controversy over an ad. Her American Eagle "great jeans" denim campaign last year triggered accusations of racial insensitivity over its genetics wordplay, something she later said she was "surprised" by and called herself "against hate and divisiveness." Between that campaign and this one, Sweeney's endorsement deals keep finding themselves at the center of the internet's biggest debates.
