Bethany Hamilton has entered the Sydney Sweeney sports-ad controversy — without actually saying Sydney Sweeney’s name.
The surfing icon posted a carousel of images showing herself surfing, including while pregnant, alongside a pointed caption: “I’m not [wasting] my time with any statements here orrr [bringing] any attention to any individuals out there but… I just wanted to highlight what a woman in sport looks like.”
Subtle? Sure. Difficult to misinterpret given the timing? Not really. See here and below.
Hamilton’s post comes amid continuing backlash over Sweeney’s provocative campaign for sports-prediction platform Novig. The ad features the actress nude or minimally clothed, strategically covered by footballs and other sports equipment while repeatedly emphasizing that Novig is about “just sports.” CNN reported the Instagram version surpassed 37 million views in four days.
Australian big-wave surfer and WSL commentator Felicity Palmateer has been among the loudest critics. Palmateer recently returned to the subject on Instagram after previously telling CNN she watched the commercial in “absolute utter disbelief.”
“How far you can put women’s sports backwards in the space of a 42-second commercial,” Flick said, calling it “very damaging” for young women. Her central argument was simple: “We want to be valued for what we can do, not what we look like.”
Here’s a new clip of Flick reacting to the video; linked here, and see below:
Sweeney, meanwhile, isn’t merely Novig’s spokesperson; she is a strategic partner and equity holder, and Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky said she drove the campaign’s “visuals and messaging.”
Sweeney has defended the concept.
“The campaign was about embracing a fun idea,” she said. “The concept is simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports,” adding that it was intended to have “confidence, humour and a playful edge.”
She also responded indirectly by posting famous nude images of athletes from ESPN’s former Body Issue, including Serena Williams and Megan Rapinoe.
And that’s where the argument now sits: Sweeney and her defenders view nudity as playful, provocative marketing and personal agency.
Hamilton, Palmateer, and other female athletes are asking a different question:
When you sell sports, what exactly are you selling?
Related: “I Did Not Kill the Shark”: Bethany Hamilton Denies Shark Attack Rumors (Video)
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