Sydney Sweeney Faces Backlash Over Racy Sports Ad: 'Women Are Fighting To Be Seen, Not Sexualised'

Sydney Sweeney just dropped a campaign that has the internet talking for all the wrong reasons. The "Euphoria" and "Anyone But You" star is fronting a new ad for Novig, a sports trading app, and the concept has people split right down the middle.

In the campaign, tagged "Just Sports," Sweeney poses nude throughout the shoot, using footballs, basketballs, soccer balls, and other sports gear strategically to cover herself. A few images do show her in branded pieces too, including an oversized Novig mesh jersey paired with the brand's underwear. But it's the fully bare shots that have really set off the conversation.

Reaction online has been fast and loud. Plenty of people are calling it a bold, eye-catching marketing move, exactly the kind of thing that gets a new app noticed. But a large chunk of the internet isn't having it, with critics arguing the ad undercuts its own message. One widely shared sentiment sums up the backlash: women are fighting to be seen in sports, not sexualized by brands using sports as a backdrop for nudity. Several commenters pointed out the irony of a "Just Sports" campaign leaning so heavily on a naked woman rather than, well, sports.

This isn't the first time Sweeney's endorsement choices have sparked debate. Her American Eagle "great jeans" denim campaign last year triggered a much bigger firestorm over its wordplay on "great genes," pulling in accusations of racial insensitivity before the brand issued a public defense. She's also made headlines more recently over her Cassie role ahead of the "Euphoria" Season 3 rollout. The actress has built a reputation as one of Hollywood's most in-demand faces for brand campaigns, and she's shown she's willing to take risks that get people talking, for better or worse.

Whether Novig sees this as a win or a misstep probably depends on which metric they're watching. Either way, the campaign has done exactly what ads are designed to do: get people talking, sharing, and arguing about it all over social media.