Hollywood star Sydney Sweeney recently shot a new advertisement for the sports betting company Novig, where she used sports equipment like a football, tennis racket, and basketball hoop to cover her body, promoting the concept of "wearing just sports." However, the ad quickly drew backlash from female athletes, who questioned whether this type of marketing once again sexualized women's sports.
Australian four-time Olympic gold medalist Ariarne Titmus took to Instagram to express her outrage, stating, "I genuinely cannot describe how angry I am seeing this ad." She added that it wasn't just a slap in the face to every female athlete who has dedicated their lives to perfecting their craft, but also to all women who truly love the teamwork, camaraderie, dedication, and spirit of excellence in sports.
"Why are we still living in a world where you can profit off women's bodies and continue to sexualize women's sports?" Titmus questioned.
American gymnast Gracie Kramer subsequently uploaded videos of her competitions and training, writing, "I don't know what Sydney Sweeney is doing, but this is what women in sports look like." The post garnered nearly a million likes, with Olympic diving silver medalist Kassidy Cook also commenting in support.
Australian sprinter Bree Rizzo stated, "Women's involvement in sports goes far beyond appearance; it's about strength, skill, dedication, resilience, confidence, and everything they are capable of."
World boxing champion Skye Nicolson also pointed out, "There's a huge difference between looking 'sexy' because you're an athlete and using sex to market 'sports.'" She emphasized that while female athletes can certainly embrace their femininity, the problem lies in using women's bodies as a tool to sell sports.
While Sweeney and Novig have yet to officially respond, Sweeney appeared to retaliate via her Instagram Stories, sharing past photos of female and male athletes, including American tennis player Serena Williams and American soccer player Megan Rapinoe, posing nude or semi-nude. 
via： Deadline