The Sydney Sweeney Novig Advert: More Than Just Sports
Novig, Americaâs newest sport prediction platform is offering far more than a place to hedge bets. Theyâve come under fire after releasing their first official ad campaign which critics and women worldwide have become increasingly concerned about.
Their first official national commercial features actress and bombshell, Sydney Sweeney, posed nude atop and in front of stereotypically male sports equipment, seductively relaying the slogan of the campaign – that Novig is for ‘Just Sports’. The overall message of the ad seems relatively placid, communicating the core message that their platform is centred around a form of âmoralâ betting, immersed in the sports world and not caught in contentious issues like âwarâ or âpoliticsâ, as a naked Sweeney repeats. Yet, the medium through which theyâve chosen to corroborate this issue is highly problematic.
Novigâs seeming reliance on the patriarchal standard of a desirable female body sits at the forefront of this campaign. Sweeneyâs flat stomach and desirable curves are all part of a multifaceted and damaging message that has arguably stained Novigâs brand. They seem to demonstrate the notion that using the female form to entice and engage a largely male viewership is both acceptable and a âcleverâ way to market.
To be totally clear, in no way am I shaming Sweeney for her actions and you shouldnât either. Novig are the issue here and their blatant disrespect of women, and quite honestly lack of creativity, are the ones fuelling this fire. Utilising the female form in advertising is nothing new and truthfully, I think I speak for every woman when I say we are so bored of it. Sweeney, however controversially, is indeed scaling a social structure intended to limit her and for that, Iâll let her off the hook.
Yet, in spite of this, there are extremely poignant issues with Novig’s ad that lie far beneath their use of a unrealistic beauty standard. Their message seems to highlight outdated tropes about women in sports and exactly where their place within sports lies. Women, as is, have a hard enough time even existing in the sports realm, let alone curating any form of existence or popularity in the typically male dominated sports like Basketball and American Football, both of which a nude Sweeney is flaunted in front of.
Women in sport have and continue to be categorically and persistently underestimated, undervalued and under-appreciated for their outstanding and unmatched contributions. Women like Billie Jean King, Simone Biles, Dina Asher Smith and Katie Ledecky have revolutionised sport, and not just for women. Theyâve set new precedents, records and have certainly challenged the ridiculous idea that a womenâs place in sport is more appropriate as a viewer or cheerleader than a player.
Despite these and millions of other womenâs unbelievable contributions to sport, Novigâs best attempt at showing a woman in sport was tokenising the female body and having her presence appear as a seductress rather than a professional sportsperson. Sportswomen all over the world have spoken out, rebutting Novigâs notions of female sports participation. Amy Hunt, a renowned sprinter for team GB, addressed Sweeney directly at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, looking into the camera and saying âThis is what women in sport look likeâ, emphasising hard work and rather importantly what the body of a real athlete looks like, rather than a tv and movie star’s. Other sportswomen like Sky Nicolson, Ariarne Titmus and Gracie Kramer have also spoken out against the commercialisation of the female body in Novigâs ad and how it has failed to represent female contributions to sport.
Yet, Novigâs advert represents something far greater than a sexist marketing campaign. It truly sheds a light onto the shift evident in Americaâs political climate, progressively seeing the enforcement of traditional gender roles and the slow undoing of progress that women have fought so hard for. This commercialisation of womenâs bodies is not an isolated event, but a rather a clear reflection of the values being legitimised in the wider public sphere. Novig seem to insist that its platform is about âJust Sportsâ, but its advert tells a wholly different story. When womenâs greatest contribution to sport is still portrayed as their appearance, perhaps the real question is not whether women belong in sport, but when will their contributions ever be enough?