Sydney Sweeney has reportedly lost around 200,000 Instagram followers after facing criticism over a provocative sports betting advertisement that some viewers say relies too heavily on the sexualisation of women.
The actor appeared in a campaign for sports betting platform Novig, posing seemingly nude while being covered by strategically placed pieces of sports equipment. Designed to attract attention through humour, confidence and a playful visual concept, the advert quickly became a subject of debate across social media.
While Sweeney has continued sharing clips from the campaign, critics argue that the advertisement reinforces a familiar pattern in which women are used as sexualised imagery to promote products connected to sport, an industry that has historically struggled with gender representation.
Sydney Sweeney Defends the Campaign
Following the backlash, Sweeney explained that the campaign was intended to focus on sport through an unconventional creative approach.
“The concept is simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports,” she said. “The campaign brings that idea to life with confidence, humor and a playful edge.”
However, the explanation did little to stop the criticism. Some viewers questioned whether the advert truly placed sport at its centre, or whether the campaign instead used Sweeney’s appearance as its primary selling point.
The controversy has also raised wider questions about the role of celebrity endorsements in advertising. While provocative campaigns can generate significant attention and online engagement, they can also create debate about the messages being communicated and the cultural assumptions behind them.
Reportedly 200,000 Followers Lost
According to follower figures tracked by Variety, Sweeney gained approximately 50,000 Instagram followers in the days after the advertisement was released. She later lost around 200,000 followers.
Although the number is substantial, it represents a relatively small percentage of Sweeney’s overall social media audience, which stands at approximately 25 million followers.
The reported decline therefore appears unlikely to have a major effect on her overall online reach. More importantly, however, the figures illustrate how quickly public criticism can translate into visible changes in a celebrity’s digital audience.
Despite the reaction, Sweeney has continued posting content connected to the Novig campaign. Her decision to share additional clips suggests that she remains comfortable with the creative direction and does not appear to be distancing herself from the advert.
Olympic Champion Ariarne Titmus Criticises the Advert
Among those who criticised the campaign was Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus, a four-time Olympic gold medallist.
Titmus expressed anger over what she described as the continued monetisation of women’s bodies and the sexualisation of women’s sport.
“I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this,” she said. “How do we live in a world where monetising a woman’s body and sexualising women’s sport is still a thing?”
Her comments reflect a broader frustration among women working in and around sport, where female athletes, executives, media professionals and organisers have frequently argued that women are judged through their appearance rather than their talent, expertise or achievements.
For critics, the problem is not necessarily that Sweeney appeared nude. Instead, it is the decision to use that image in a campaign associated with sport, where women continue to push for more serious and equal representation.
Concerns About Women’s Representation
Marissa Womack, manager of game day promotions and programming for the Harrisburg Senators minor league baseball team, also spoke out against the campaign.
Womack clarified that her criticism was not motivated by jealousy or insecurity surrounding Sweeney’s appearance. Rather, she said it was connected to the experience of working in a male-dominated industry where women are often required to prove that they belong.
“It’s about having passions and joy working in this industry and when the only representation is sexualization, you see less and less young women wanting to pursue this industry!” she said.
Her comments highlight the tension between advertising that uses sexualised imagery to attract attention and the wider effort to encourage more women to participate in sports-related careers.
When women are repeatedly presented as visual accessories rather than professionals, athletes or decision-makers, critics argue that it can reinforce the idea that their value is primarily connected to appearance.
That concern is particularly relevant in sports marketing, where campaigns often attempt to combine entertainment, celebrity culture and commercial appeal.
Sweeney’s History of Controversial Advertising
The Novig campaign is not the first advertisement involving Sweeney to generate controversy.
The Euphoria star has previously appeared in revealing campaigns, including promotions for her lingerie brand, Syrn. Those projects were directly connected to fashion and underwear, while the latest advert has attracted additional scrutiny because of its relationship to sport and betting.
Sweeney also faced backlash over an American Eagle jeans campaign.
In that advert, she discussed how genes are passed from parents to offspring and can influence characteristics such as hair colour, personality and eye colour. She then delivered the campaign’s central pun: “My jeans are blue.”
The commercial received a strong reaction online, with critics debating whether its messaging was simply playful or carried uncomfortable implications.
Sweeney later said that the response had been a surprise. She explained that she was filming at the time and had kept her phone away, meaning she was not immediately aware of the scale of the criticism.
The latest controversy suggests that Sweeney has become increasingly associated with advertising campaigns that generate strong reactions, whether through their visual style, language or cultural messaging.
When Attention Becomes the Main Message
The Novig campaign demonstrates the complicated relationship between attention and advertising.
From a marketing perspective, the advert achieved one of the central goals of modern campaigns: it became highly visible and sparked conversation. However, the debate surrounding it may have shifted attention away from the sports betting platform and towards questions about gender, objectification and the representation of women.
This is a familiar challenge for brands working with high-profile celebrities. A recognisable face can immediately increase visibility, but the celebrity’s image can also become the centre of the campaign, sometimes overshadowing the product itself.
In Sweeney’s case, the campaign’s stated intention was to put the focus on sport. Yet the public discussion has largely centred on the decision to present the actor in a sexualised way.
That gap between intention and reception is often where advertising controversies begin.
A Larger Cultural Debate
The criticism surrounding Sweeney’s advert is part of a larger cultural conversation about how women are represented in entertainment, fashion and sport.
Women have long been used in advertising to attract attention, but audiences are increasingly questioning whether such approaches remain appropriate, particularly when campaigns claim to promote empowerment, confidence or female participation.
Supporters of Sweeney may argue that she has the right to control her image and participate in campaigns on her own terms. Critics, meanwhile, maintain that individual choice does not remove the responsibility of brands to consider the wider messages their campaigns communicate.
Both perspectives form part of the debate.
The issue is not simply whether Sweeney should appear nude or whether the campaign was intended to be humorous. It is whether the creative concept contributes anything meaningful beyond using a woman’s body as a way to generate attention.
The Impact on Sweeney’s Career
Despite the reported loss of followers, Sweeney’s wider career remains strong. The actress continues to attract major film, television and advertising opportunities, while her social media audience remains considerable.
A loss of approximately 200,000 followers may be noticeable, but it does not represent a major threat to her overall digital influence. In fact, the controversy may increase the campaign’s visibility and keep Sweeney in the public conversation.
That does not mean the criticism is insignificant. For the people challenging the campaign, the discussion is connected to a much broader issue than one advertisement or one celebrity.
Their concern is that women working in sport and related industries should be represented through their abilities, ambitions and achievements, rather than primarily through sexualised imagery.
As brands compete for attention in an increasingly crowded media environment, provocative advertising will likely remain common. The challenge is deciding whether a campaign’s boldness supports its message or simply distracts from it.
Sweeney’s Novig advert clearly succeeded in attracting attention. Whether it succeeded in putting sport at the centre of the conversation remains open to debate.
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