Internet slams Sydney Sweeney for racy ad: ‘Women in sports are fighting to be seen, not sexualised’

Sydney Sweeney faced immense flak for her American Eagle denim ad, which was released on July 23 last year. The actor has now featured in a new ad, for sports trading app Novig, and the reaction so far from social media has been anything but redeeming. Users online, particularly, women in sports, shared their frustration with the sexualised ad, and called it disappointing.

The ad features the Euphoria star appearing to be nude with various sports equipment. She posed naked while using items like footballs, basketballs, hockey pads, and tennis racquets to cover herself. After release, the ad went viral on social media. Several users called it inappropriate and criticised it as regressive for women.

A comment on her Instagram post for the ad read, “As a former athlete and a woman who has personally experienced sexualised comments, I’m genuinely disgusted and deeply disappointed by this campaign. We’ve spent years fighting to be seen and respected for our talent, strength, and achievements-not reduced to our bodies…”

Another said, “Thank you for undoing everything women try to build in sports :)” Another female user said, “This is sad at this point. Can’t sell or be a normal girl if she doesn’t use her body as a tool. Sexualizing sports like this is crazy.”

“While women in sports are fighting to be seen for their talent and not to be sexualised this clearly Undo all the efforts, atp she just knows what works for her and she'll go any length for that attention. Sydney Sweeney is no FEMINIST,” said a user on X. A second user commented, “We need to stop normalizing this. It's not healthy for kids to see that as aspirational.”

On the work front, Sydney was last seen in Season 3 of Euphoria . The HBO show starring Zendaya and Jacob Elordi marked the return of her character Cassie. The show opened to mixed review and is available to watch on JioHotstar. She was also seen in the sports drama Christy and the thriller, The Housemaid.

Santanu Das is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 5 years of experience, writing on films, pop culture and film festivals. He has a keen interest in writing about South Asian independent films and has covered several film festivals, including Sundance and CPH: Docx. He also brings a sharp perspective to the monthly column called The Fault in Our Stars, where he writes about a recent film/series and what stops the ‘good’ from becoming ‘great’. A gold medalist from Banaras Hindu University, Santanu completed his postgraduate studies in English from Jadavpur University. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. When not watching films or speaking to celebrities, Santanu can be found reading a book. Some of his favourite films are Aparajito, Ponyo and The Double Life of Veronique. His favourite books include The Corrections, The God of Small Things and A Room of One's Own. Santanu continues to write passionately about films and celebrity culture. He brings a relatable, as well as critically informed, lens to entertainment and culture for a wide audience. Find him on LinkedIn: santanudasfilm Instagram: @santupecha Read More