Sydney Sweeney enjoys controversy. Perhaps it is even a business strategy. Sexy provocateur is her brand, as evidenced by the roles she plays in television and movies and as a spokesperson in ad campaigns (Though she actually speaks very little in her commercials). We all remember her ad for American Eagle jeans, or did she mean “genes?”
Sweeney’s latest ad for Novig, a prediction market platform exclusively for sports, is the latest controversy. Sweeney appears nude, barely covering her private areas with various sporting equipment in each frame. The ad incurred the ire of female athletes who believe Sweeney is trivializing female sports. Others claim it is good marketing considering 72% of the sports betting market is male, and that the only reason anyone is complaining about Sweeney baring nearly all is that she is a registered Republican.
Overlapping the Sweeney controversy is another involving an accomplished woman at the peak of her industry -- long-time ESPN reporter Holly Rowe. At the conclusion of last week’s come-from-behind win over number-one-ranked Ohio State, Texas head football coach, Steve Sarkisian displayed dismissive behavior toward Rowe, who was attempting to interview the coach, who missed a pre-game interview because of technical difficulties. During the brief exchange, Sarkisian, in the midst of on-field mayhem, shouted, “Let's go! Texas Fight! Hook 'em,” and bolted for the locker room. Rowe can be seen rolling her eyes in frustration as she walks off camera.
First, the actual incident went viral, then a violent AI-generated meme surpassed the popularity of the original interaction. In the meme, Sarkisian backhands Rowe, and she falls to the turf. In a subsequent media availability, Texas quarterback Arch Manning laughed about the meme and called it “hilarious” as a room full of mostly male reporters guffawed along with him. The backlash was almost immediate, forcing Manning to apologize publicly. Manning called Rowe, and according to a post from her Instagram, the conversation will remain private, but she accepts his apology.
The two controversies have an obvious link; they denigrate women in sports, both athletes and journalists. However, there is an even more insidious connection between these incidents. Both contribute to the normalization of violence against women.
The AI-fake of Sarkisian slapping Rowe is direct. One of the highest-profile football coaches seemingly bludgeons a female reporter, and his star quarterback with a blue-chip pedigree calls it “hilarious” and yucks it up with a gaggle of male reporters. The meme and quarterback gaffe are viewed by tens of millions, mostly men, who consciously or subconsciously understand that as a society we really have not come far at all in our attitudes towards the abuse of women.
Sweeney’s contribution is less obvious, but powerful. Many today believe that a woman choosing to be nude in film or photos is a sign of female empowerment. Certainly, the fact that she is making a conscious and informed choice is evidence of a kind of empowerment that evaded women in previous times.
However, what Sweeney is communicating to girls and young women in the Novig ad is that women and sports exist for the pleasure of men. Women should strive to look like her, because that is what men want. Once girls and young women buy into the lies that their purpose and existence are less than their male counterparts, the door is cracked ever so slightly for abusive men to exploit the lie.
Violence against women is about power and control. If a woman already feels like she is less than her male partner, then she becomes more susceptible to the tactics that abusers employ to secure and maintain control. Abusers are bolstered by scenes like the one that played out in the University of Texas media room, convincing themselves that what they are doing to their partners is not taboo and even accepted in certain corners where toxic masculinity thrives.
No, Sydney Sweeney and her sports betting ad are not the cause of what happened to Holly Rowe or the 8.5 million incidents of domestic and intimate partner violence perpetrated against women in the United States each year. Yet, Sweeney’s Novig ad has more than 50 million views. She boasts 26 million social media followers, throngs who have seen her films and HBO MAX series, and the ability to garner international media coverage simply by walking outside. Imagine how Sydney Sweeney could become an ambassador to girls and young women struggling with body image, lack of self-worth, or suffering from intimate partner violence. She could leverage her image and clout to stigmatize domestic violence, or even joking about it, as anathema. That would be truly euphoric.