Sydney Sweeney
Role at the time: Actor; strategic partner and equity holder, Novig
Defended or excused
Statement summary
Sydney Sweeney responded to the backlash by posting images from the Novig ad alongside past ESPN "Body Issue" photos of nude and semi-nude athletes.
“It’s gamedayyyy [caption on a carousel pairing an image from the Novig ad with ESPN "Body Issue" photos of athletes including Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe, Caroline Wozniacki, Myles Garrett, Rob Gronkowski, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jason Kelce]”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Sydney Sweeney fires back at trolls after facing criticism online for provocative sports ad
Fox News report directly quoting the caption ("It’s gamedayyyy") on Sweeney’s Sept. 13 Instagram response to the backlash.
Why we used this label
Sweeney’s post implicitly defends the ad by placing it alongside a history of athletes posing nude for ESPN’s Body Issue, arguing by comparison that the campaign should not be treated as exceptional.