Sydney Sweeney Ad Not ‘Materially Damaging’ To Her Image As She Has Made Sexuality Her Brand, Expert Reveals

Sunday, September 20, 2026 at 11:30 AM

Sydney Sweeney has found herself at the center of another heated debate following the release of a provocative campaign. The Sydney Sweeney Ad Not ‘Materially Damaging’ To Her Image As She Has Made Sexuality Her Brand, Expert Reveals first appeared on The Blast

Sydney Sweeney has found herself at the center of another heated debate following the release of a provocative campaign for sports trading platform Novig.

While the campaign succeeded in attracting attention, it also sparked criticism from female athletes and others who questioned the message it sent about women in sports.

However, experts believe the controversy is unlikely to damage Sydney Sweeney’s career because the campaign fits the public image she has already established.

Sydney Sweeney’s Nude Sports Ad Triggered Widespread Criticism

Sydney Sweeney at 'Euphoria' Season 3 Los Angeles Premiere
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

Sweeney’s Novig campaign quickly became a talking point after images from the shoot appeared online and on billboards. In the ads, the “Euphoria” star posed mostly nude while different pieces of sports equipment were positioned across her body.

“Think you know sports? Prove it. Novig is just sports. So, they wanted a show,” Sweeney said in the campaign. The attention that followed, however, was not entirely positive.

As reported by The Blast, several female athletes criticized the approach, including Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ariarne Titmus, British sprinter Amy Hunt and former American gymnast Gracie Kramer. Some social media users also argued that the campaign relied too heavily on Sweeney’s body rather than celebrating women for their sporting achievements.

Sweeney later explained that the campaign was intended to be playful. She said the idea was to “cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports,” describing its execution as confident and humorous.

Why The Actress’s Provocative Approach Is Unlikely To Hurt Her Brand

Sydney Sweeney strips naked to promote sports prediction market Novig
Novig/MEGACredit: MUST CREDIT: Novig/Mega/MEGA

Despite the backlash, communications expert Adrienne Uthe does not believe the campaign will cause lasting harm to Sweeney’s public image.

Instead, she argued that the actress has the freedom to decide how she presents herself, even if others disagree with those choices.

“Women having agency also means allowing women to make choices about their image that other women may not personally agree with,” Uthe told Fox News Digital. She acknowledged that athletes and members of the public are equally entitled to criticize the campaign.

However, Uthe said she does not think the controversy is “materially damaging” to Sweeney. In her view, appearing in the Novig campaign is not a dramatic departure from the actress’ existing image or the types of projects she has previously chosen.

Still, Uthe cautioned against assuming that widespread online attention automatically translates into successful marketing. “Going viral tells me they captured attention. It doesn’t tell me they captured the customer,” she explained.

Expert Feels The Negative Reactions To Sydney Sweeney’s Sport Campaign May Be Blown Out Of Proportion

Sydney Sweeney at the 41st Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Virtuosos Award
CraSH / MEGA

The controversy has developed into a larger discussion about whether Sweeney’s campaign represents personal empowerment or contributes to the objectification of women in sports.

Uthe noted that both interpretations have gained traction, with different audiences viewing the same images in completely different ways.

She argued that online discussions can make the loudest viewpoint appear more widespread than it really is.

Once a particular interpretation dominates a person’s feed or aligns with their existing beliefs, Uthe said that perception can begin to feel like reality.

Critic Brands The Actress’s Ad’ Bad For Women In Sport’

Sydney Sweeney strips naked to promote sports prediction market Novig
Novig/MEGACredit: MUST CREDIT: Novig/Mega/MEGA

Olivia Bennett, Senior Account Director at Go Up, was far more critical. She described the campaign as “bad for women in sport,” arguing that Novig should have anticipated the reaction when it chose Sweeney for a national campaign.

Similar criticism also came from a commenter who identified herself as a former athlete.

“I’m genuinely disgusted and deeply disappointed by this campaign,” she wrote, arguing that women have fought to be recognized for their “talent, strength, and achievements-not reduced to our bodies.”

The contrasting opinions show why the campaign has generated such a heated conversation. What some see as confidence and personal choice, others see as taking away from the achievements women have fought for.

Sydney Sweeney Has Long Embraced Nudity As Part Of Her Brand

Sydney Sweeney Reveals If She Will Return For 'Euphoria' Season 3
MEGA

Sweeney’s willingness to appear nude is not limited to advertising. The actress has previously discussed her comfort with on-screen nudity and how portraying Cassie Howard in “Euphoria” helped her develop greater confidence.

“I don’t get nervous,” Sweeney told W Magazine when discussing nude scenes, per People. She explained that she views the female body as “a very powerful thing” and approaches such moments according to what she believes is necessary to tell a character’s story properly.

For Cassie specifically, Sweeney has viewed her character’s relationship with her body as another method of communicating her emotions and experiences.

“We all get naked in real life,” she previously told Teen Vogue, explaining that Cassie’s body functions as “a different form of communication for her.”

Those comments show that Sweeney has long treated nudity as something she is willing to incorporate into her work when she believes it serves a purpose.

The Sydney Sweeney Ad Not ‘Materially Damaging’ To Her Image As She Has Made Sexuality Her Brand, Expert Reveals first appeared on The Blast

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