Sydney Sweeney is once again at the center of an advertising controversy.
The actress is facing backlash over a new campaign for sports prediction platform Novig, in which she appears in a provocative sports-themed shoot. The campaign has drawn criticism from female athletes, including Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus, who argued that the imagery risks sexualizing women in sport.
Sweeney has pushed back against the criticism, highlighting famous female athletes who have also posed nude or in provocative shoots.
But the bigger conversation goes beyond one campaign. Sweeney has already been at the center of major advertising debates, raising a question that feels increasingly relevant to the internet: is controversy becoming part of the marketing strategy?
The ad is basically the perfect internet debate :empowerment, objectification, rage bait and celebrity marketing all rolled into one.
