HBO’s Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney responded to backlash over her appearing nude in an advertisement for the sports trading app Novig by sharing photos of naked athletes.
Sweeney appeared to poke fun at the backlash she received for her Novig ad by posting photos to her Instagram Stories showing Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, and Caroline Wozniacki posing nude for magazines, according to a report by Daily Mail.
As Breitbart News reported, the 29-year-old actress recently stripped down for a provocative Novig advertisement, in which she was seen scantily clad in various athletic uniforms, repeating the word “sports.”
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In seemingly responding to the backlash, Sweeney also highlighted several men who have taken off their clothes for sports, including Myles Garrett, Rob Gronkowski, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jason Kelce, the newspaper noted.
While the blonde bombshell has not directly responded to negative comments on her Instagram post sharing the ad, her recent Stories appear to be a subtle reply to social media users who claimed they were “disgusted” and “disappointed” after watching the commercial.
“As a former athlete and a woman who has personally experienced sexualized comments, I’m genuinely disgusted and disappointed by this campaign,” one Instagram user wrote in the comment section.
“We’ve spent years fighting to be seen and respected for our talent, strength and achievements, not reduced to our bodies…” another complained.
“It’s too bad she couldn’t do an ad like this with her clothes on,” a third wailed. “It’s meant to be controversial just like Brooke Shields years ago. That’s what sells unfortunately.”
“This is sad at this point,” another wrote. “Can’t sell or be a normal girl if she doesn’t use her body as a tool. Sexualizing sports like this is crazy.”
“How do we cancel this?” another Instagram user asked of the Novig ad featuring Sweeney.
In a statement to Variety last week, the White Lotus actress said, “The campaign was about embracing a fun idea. The concept is simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports. The campaign brings that idea to life with confidence, humor and a playful edge.”
The sports prediction market and trading app — which stipulates a 21+ age requirement — launched nationwide last month under a federally regulated framework.
Alana Mastrangelo-Wrask is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.