In a world where “all press is good press,” does that still apply when it comes at the cost of disrespecting women? Sydney Sweeney’s latest controversial ad, for the sports betting app Novig, has left viewers shocked and disgusted all around the world. From a marketing perspective, the ad is genius. Since the sexualization of women’s bodies is so normalized, the ad immediately entraps its viewers. It allows them to form an opinion which they then talk about, causing engagement to skyrocket.
After watching Sweeney’s American Eagle ad last year, I had a pretty solid opinion on the actress. It was difficult at first to determine whether she was unaware and naive, but her lack of response to the controversy led me to believe it was acknowledgement and even encouragement. In the ad, Sweeney used a play on words between jeans and genes. She talks about how genes are passed down from parent to offspring, and how they are in charge of personality and physical traits. She then says her jeans are blue, bringing the conversation back to her clothing. The ad ends with a voiceover saying, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” which people interpreted to mean that her blonde hair and blue eyes are “great genes.” This joke of an ad was pushing white supremacy and eugenicist rhetoric.
As someone who is uninterested in sports betting, my opinion (and knowledge) on the industry is practically nonexistent. I understand how addictive it can be. I also understand that the target demographic is men. Sweeney is no stranger to the male gaze. She even had a collaboration with a male soap brand where she sold a soap bar that was allegedly made with her bath water. I don’t understand why a naked woman would encourage men to be hygienic, but then again, I am not that target audience.
Some arguments that surfaced from Sweeney’s ad were that the outrage was just “women hating other women” and that people are jealous of Sweeney’s body or the money she made from it. This brings up the conversation about choice feminism. Choice feminism is the belief that any choice a woman makes is a feminist choice if she makes it with her own free will. One of the reasons why choice feminism is a toxic ideology is that it eliminates responsibility to outside factors. There are restrictions set by issues of ability, race, sexual orientation, or class. So to make something clear: just because a woman chooses to do something does not make it feminist.
Multiple female athletes have spoken out against the ad. Ariarne Titmus, the current reigning Olympic champion for the 400-meter freestyle, took to her Instagram story to share her opinions. She wrote, “Not only is it a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft, but every woman who enjoys sports for what it truly is — teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence, unity … How do we still live in a world where monetising a woman’s body and sexualising women’s sport is still a thing?”
Even though the ad itself is not a direct attack on female athletes, the reason why it is problematic is because it is a woman being sexualized with sports equipment. The generalizations made from portraying a “sexy” woman with sports equipment is exactly what female athletes have been fighting against for years. Women athletes want to be viewed as more than a body with equipment. Is that too much to ask for?
Women have worked for decades to earn respect in a world where that should not need to happen. Women like Sweeney are single-handedly setting back that work by creating environments where it is okay for men to view women as literal objects. Women and female athletes should be known for their resilience, hard work, and passion. Sweeney’s ad was not only highly offensive, but extremely disappointing. After such a successful year for female sports, such as the women’s hockey team winning gold at the Olympics, this ad feels like a mockery of womanhood.
In light of the incredibly sexist advertisement, it is important to focus on the incredible female athletes all around the world. Women in sports will forever amaze me and I cannot wait to see the generations of powerful feminists to come.