Sydney Sweeney Advert Backlash Addressed By Olympian Amy Hunt Again

Olympian Amy Hunt has opened up about why she was so disappointed by Sydney Sweeney’s controversial new advert.

Amy is one of several female athletes to have spoken out against Sydney’s ad campaign for the betting brand Novig, which many have suggested “sexualises” women’s sports.

Speaking to the BBC after completing the Ultimate Championship over the weekend, the silver medallist said: “Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sport look like.”

On Tuesday, she then addressed the matter on Good Morning Britain, claiming: “When we’re trying to provide role models for young people and young women in sport, we really want to show that it’s about what your body can do, not so much what it looks like.”

Amy continued: “When we see the stats [saying] 64% of young girls drop out of exercise and sport before they reach the age of 16, we don’t need to place any kind of barrier whatsoever in their way in terms of providing the opportunity and the empowerment for them to still exercise – whatever that looks like, professional, or kind of just going to do a ParkRun with your friends.

“So, it’s about empowering young girls and young women and young people to show that you really can just get out there and you don’t have to worry what you look like, you don’t have to worry about what you’re wearing.”

However, she added: “The reaction has almost outweighed the moment because the first thing I saw was all of the positive compilations of women in sport. It’s actually kind of moved. It’s separated itself from from the moment entirely.

“And it’s not anything personal against that actress. It’s more the kind of intention, and it’s just moved into a completely different spin now, where we’re able to kind of have all these different things celebrating women’s sport.”

In Sydney’s new ad, she’s seen posing nude, save for various bits of sporting equipment, while claiming: “Novig is just sports. So, they wanted to show… just sports.”

Although Sydney has not yet commented publicly on the backlash, she did appear to reference it in a string of Instagram story posts shared on Sunday night.

The Emmy nominee posted a string of nude photo-shoots participated in by leading sporting figures, including Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Megan Rapinoe, Rob Gronkowski, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jason Kelce.

HuffPost UK has contacted Sydney Sweeney and Novig for comment.

Of course, this is not the first time Sydney has landed herself at the centre of controversy over an advert.

Last year, she found herself in hot water over a very different ad campaign, when it was suggested that a promo video for American Eagle she’d appeared in had mirrored the language of white supremacists and eugenicists.

Sydney later said she had been left “surprised by the reaction” to the clothing advert, after spending months mostly swerving questions about the media storm, while the fashion brand insisted their promo clip had been “about the jeans” and nothing more.

“We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their American Eagle jeans with confidence, their way,” they insisted. “Great jeans look good on everyone.”