Sydney Sweeney is facing renewed criticism after previously published nude photographs of prominent female athletes resurfaced online amid controversy surrounding her latest advertising campaign.
Images of Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman and former US football star Megan Rapinoe from ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue have been widely shared after Sweeney posted photographs of athletes who had previously appeared nude in the publication.
Raisman appeared in the 2015 Body Issue and discussed the experience with ESPN, saying she was completely naked during the shoot. The Olympic gold medallist said she had learned to embrace her muscular physique and viewed her body as part of what made her an athlete.
Rapinoe featured in the 2014 edition before returning alongside basketball star Sue Bird for the 2018 cover. ESPN described their appearance as the first time an openly gay couple had featured on a Body Issue cover. Rapinoe said the magazine celebrated athletes for their muscles, scars and physical achievements.
Aly Raisman for the 2015 ESPN The Body Issue
— JBONTHEROCKS (@mitzvah88) September 17, 2026
One of the GOATS of women's gymnastics Aly Raisman is one of just three U.S. women’s artistic gymnasts in history to win back‑to‑back Olympic team gold medals,
Now they can define what a woman is! https://t.co/AcDkvJWC5y pic.twitter.com/ugNYxgGrIQ
Fans Debate The Difference
The resurfacing images have since fuelled an online debate over whether the context surrounding nudity affects how it is perceived.
Some social-media users linked the older photographs directly to the backlash against Sweeney, while others argued the circumstances were fundamentally different.
One X user wrote: 'Interesting how nudity was empowering and feminist when Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird, or Emily Ratajkowski did it, but suddenly it becomes "setting women back 100 years" when Sydney Sweeney does it. Maybe the problem isn't the nudity... but who's doing it and whether you agree with her ideology.'
Another commenter responded: 'The thing is one is for a gambling app; the other is to celebrate an athlete. I hope you understand the difference?'
A third user joked: 'Holy s***! Every time I see Sydney Sweeney pop up on my feed she's naked! Can she put some damn clothes on?! Oh wait... my bad... this is real gymnast? I'm cool with it then.'
Another added: 'The athletes were showing off the Ancient Greek ideal of the perfect athletic form, Sweeney is showing off the PornHub/OF ideal. Sweeney is pandering to base male instincts, the athletes are trying to personify discipline and sacrifice.'
Why The Novig Ad Sparked Controversy
Sweeney appeared nude or minimally clothed in Novig images and video, using sports equipment to cover herself. The campaign promotes Novig as a sports prediction platform.
It drew criticism from athletes including British sprinter Amy Hunt and Australian Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus. Hunt contrasted it with the demands of competitive sport, while Titmus expressed frustration.
Sweeney later shared images of athletes who had posed nude for ESPN's Body Issue, including Rapinoe. The move appeared to place her campaign within a longer history of athletes using nude photography to celebrate their bodies.
Critics, however, have stressed that the Body Issue photographs centred on athletic achievement, while Sweeney's campaign was commercial advertising for a sports betting business.
The controversy has continued to attract online attention. The Guardian reported that the Novig advert had been viewed more than 22 million times in its first two days, while Novig chief executive Jacob Fortinsky defended the campaign as an effective way to attract attention.
