Sydney Sweeney Novig ad controversy has intensified after reports she lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers amid criticism from female athletes.
LOS ANGELES: Sydney Sweeney has reportedly lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers as criticism grows over her provocative advertising campaign for sports prediction platform Novig, with several prominent female athletes challenging its portrayal of women in sport.
The Sydney Sweeney Novig ad places the Euphoria star alongside sporting equipment in a series of revealing scenes designed to promote the US platform. The campaign launched on September 9 and quickly generated widespread attention online.
Why Sydney Sweeney’s sports ad is facing criticism
The campaign features Sweeney using basketballs, footballs, tennis equipment and other sporting items as part of its provocative visual concept.
Criticism has focused largely on how the advertising sexualises women while using sport as its setting.
Four-time Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus was among those who objected to the campaign. British sprinter Amy Hunt, former gymnast Gracie Kramer and other athletes have also spoken publicly about how women are represented in sport.
Kramer responded with sporting footage accompanied by the message that it showed what a woman in sport looks like, while other athletes highlighted the training, physical strength and commitment required to compete professionally.
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More than 200,000 followers reportedly leave
The controversy has coincided with a noticeable change in Sweeney’s Instagram following.
Variety reported that more than 200,000 accounts had unfollowed the actress amid the backlash. Other reports citing social-media tracking data recorded a similar decline.
However, follower data can establish only that the decline occurred around the same period. It cannot determine why every individual account chose to unfollow her.
Sweeney still retains an Instagram audience numbering in the tens of millions.
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Sweeney responds as debate grows
Sweeney has not issued an apology over the Sydney Sweeney Novig ad.
Instead, amid the criticism she shared images of female athletes who had previously appeared nude or semi-nude in ESPN’s Body Issue. Critics have argued that those photographs differ because they centred on athletes and their physical achievements.
Novig has defended the concept. The company has described Sweeney as a strategic partner and equity holder rather than simply a celebrity spokesperson.
Another advertising controversy for Sweeney
The latest debate follows the intense reaction surrounding Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign in 2025.
This time, however, much of the criticism is coming directly from women involved in elite sport, turning the debate towards representation and sexualisation in sports marketing.
Impact to expect
The controversy could encourage brands and sports platforms to examine more closely how women are represented in advertising, particularly when campaigns rely on provocative imagery to generate online attention.
