Why Sydney Sweeney Has Two Big Targets On Her Chest - William Costello
In a Nutshell
The backlash against Sydney Sweeney's Novig ad stems from intrasexual competition, not principled concern for women's sports, as critics apply inconsistent standards that celebrate sexualization from in-group women while condemning it from those coded right-leaning. Sydney Sweeney violates female coalitional norms by directly appealing to male attention without signaling group loyalty, triggering slut-shaming tactics that frame her natural genetic advantages as unearned and threatening to other women's mate value. The episode reveals how women's evolved preference for egalitarianism and indirect competition creates selective outrage that ignores larger issues like trans athletes in sports while policing individual women's sexual expression.
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Sydney Sweeney did an ad for Novig, a sports betting and prediction market company. She has a significant stake in the company and is not merely an ambassador but an owner. The ad is geared toward young men as the target market and uses the principle that sex sells.
An Irish radio presenter claimed Sydney Sweeney set female sports back 40 years in a 40-second ad. Critics argued that this view reflects a low opinion of women's sports and their ability to withstand a single advertisement. The backlash notably ignores larger issues threatening female sports, such as trans athletes competing in women's categories.
The New York Times published a piece stating that the ad infuriated women in sports because female athletes have genuinely changed perceptions of what women are capable of since the turn of the century. Critics noted the inconsistency in these commentators who have supported prostitution as legitimate and empowering, adopted sexually graphic female rap and pop songs as anthems, yet suddenly object to a woman appearing in an advertisement.
Sydney Sweeney is a part-owner of Novig rather than simply an ambassador. This gives her legitimate financial upside and incentive for the advertisement's success. She profits directly from every bet placed through the platform.
The same act of self-sexualization can be viewed as empowering if performed by someone considered sufficiently woke or in-group, but criticized if the person is coded as right-wing or insufficiently aligned with progressive ideology. The criticism has been notably puritanical and sex-negative when targeted at Sweeney.
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