Sydney Sweeney, the actress who rose to fame through HBO’s Euphoria and recently starred in the film adaptation of the bestseller The Housemaid, is facing intense criticism from elite female athletes over her latest advertising campaign for a sports betting company. The ads feature Sweeney wearing minimal clothing while mimicking various athletic activities, sparking accusations that the campaign sexualizes women’s sport for the male gaze.
Olympians and Champions Condemn “Slap in the Face” Marketing
The backlash began when Australian Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus posted a blunt assessment on social media. She stated:
“I can’t describe the anger I feel seeing this. It is not only a slap in the face to all the women who have dedicated their lives to perfecting their craft, but to all the women who enjoy sport for what it really is: teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence… I thought this kind of “absurd” marketing was a thing of the past”.
American gymnast Gracie Kramer amplified the message by posting a training video with the caption: “This is what a woman in sports looks like.” The video triggered a wave of similar posts from athletes across multiple disciplines.
Wave of Athlete-Led Response Videos
Australian triathlete Jenna Gwinn shared her own training footage alongside a pointed critique:
“A woman’s place in the sports industry is as an athlete, reporter, coach…. Not sexualizing bodies for a sports betting ad aimed at men. Women belong in the sports industry without being sexualized”.
Lani Pallister, Olympic gold medalist in the 4x200m freestyle relay at Paris 2024, posted a compilation of her training, races, and medals with the message:
“I don’t know what Sydney thinks about sport, but this is what sport looks like.”
Australian water polo player Tilly Kearns, a silver medalist at the Paris Games, added her voice over match footage:
“I absolutely hate the new Sydney Sweeney sports ad”
“Using Sex to Sell Sport” — World Champion Weighs In
World boxing champion Skye Nicolson articulated a distinction many athletes have emphasized:
“There is a big difference between looking ‘sexy’ because you play sports and using sex to sell ‘sport’. […] It is disrespectful to female athletes who dedicate their lives to sport and to the women who have broken barriers for generations, only to then mock it by using a sex symbol with suggestive language and imagery in an ad about sport”.
Nicolson also noted the paradox of engagement: “giving the advertising campaign exactly what they wanted, but honestly these companies need to do better. Stop sexualizing women in sport”.
Mexican gymnast Natalia Escalera framed the issue in structural terms:
“This ad is honestly infuriating. Seeing women’s sports once again being commercialized through the male gaze feels like a huge step backward. We shouldn’t have to take our clothes off to convince men that women belong in sports or that we’re only worth watching if we show enough skin”.
Sweeney Responds with Historical Athlete Covers
Sweeney addressed the criticism via her Instagram stories, sharing a series of magazine covers featuring renowned athletes who have posed nude for editorial features. The images included Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Megan Rapinoe, and Myles Garrett, among others.
The actress has not issued a formal statement beyond the visual response. The betting company behind the campaign has not publicly commented on the athlete-led backlash as of publication.