Controversy over American actress' advertisement, female player said - 'Women look like this in sports'

Female athletes have spoken out against a controversial sports gambling ad featuring actress Sydney Sweeney.

This advertisement has gone viral online. In this, American actress Sydney Sweeney is not wearing any clothes and has covered some parts of her body with different sports equipment.

There has been strong reaction to this advertisement. Many female athletes have criticized the sexualization of women's bodies in sports.

She says that women in sports are being judged on the basis of their body and appearance rather than their achievements.

'Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sports look like'

Amy Hunt became a four-time European champion earlier this year. On Sunday, he clocked his season's best time of 22.10 seconds in the 200m final at the Ultimate Championships in Budapest. She stood fourth.

Hunt mentioned this advertisement in an interview with BBC Sport after the race.

She said, "Sydney Sweeney, this is what women in sports look like."

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won the race in 21.47 seconds. This is the fourth fastest time ever over this distance.

"21.4 seconds. Muscles, hard work, blood, sweat, tears. It's a beautiful evening," Hunt said, referring to Melissa.

29 year old American actress Sydney Sweeney has worked in the TV series 'Euphoria'. Her films include 'Anyone But You' and 'The Housemaid'.

Following the protest against the ad, athletes from many other sports also joined in.

He posted videos of his training and competitions. Also, he talked about the troubles and struggles he faced during his career.

Where did the protest start from?

It was started by American gymnast Gracie Kramer. He posted a montage of his training videos.

He also wrote, "I don't know what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what women in sports look like."

Kramer told the BBC World Service that he did not expect so much reaction to his post.

She said she "just wanted to encourage women". She wanted to remind them that such ads may be worth watching, but "it's not the only thing that matters".

She said it was "great to see all the amazing athletes joining in, cheering themselves and each other on" in the trend.

Kramer said that due to competing in leotards as a gymnast, she has received "very derogatory and misogynistic" messages from men.

Kramer said, "Unfortunately, throughout my career I have been objectified almost all the time. That's what gave me the courage to post about this and speak up for women who don't want to be seen that way. They don't want to be a part of this unfortunate mindset that has been promoted for a long time."

'A particular kind of picture of women was shown'

Australia's four-time Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmuss said, "This is a huge blow to all the women who have devoted their lives to improving their sport. It's also a blow to the women who enjoy sports for what it is."

She asked, "How do we live in a world where making money from women's bodies and sexualizing women's sports is still common?"

British cyclist and Olympic champion Sophie Capewell MBE, rugby players Lisa Newman and Ellie Boatman and Australian water polo Olympian Tilly Kearns also shared their stories.

Following the reaction to her post, Capewell told BBC Sport: "I think it's impressive that so many women are coming forward and speaking out."

She said, "This ad shows a certain kind of image of women in sports. I think that's the most disturbing thing. Why should a campaign related to sports be like this?"

"Why does a woman need to be shown like this? She could have been shown as an athlete or something else related to sports."

She said, "The issue is not that people are against a woman doing something of her own free will. The issue is that this is the story that is shown most often about women in sports. Or this story is the most popular."

England women's rugby player Alex Matthews said that ads like Sweeney's should not lead young women to believe that "one type of body is right for everyone."

"There is no ideal body as people think. Especially in rugby. If everyone had the same body, you wouldn't have a team," he told BBC Sport.

"Every body type has its own characteristics."

Matthews represented Great Britain in rugby sevens at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

She said one of the most inspiring things she found at the Olympic Village was seeing all the different types of people. There were people from the older generation, there were young players, there were tall people and there were some big body people too. But all of them were the best in their respective sports.

The actress has been in controversies before too

Sweeney has not yet commented on this controversy. However, she has posted several photos on social media of other athletes posing in skimpy outfits.

The photos were part of a series of covers for ESPN. These included celebrities like tennis star Serena Williams and MMA fighter and wrestler Ronda Rousey. Among the male athletes were NFL player Myles Garrett and basketball player Karl-Anthony Towns.

Last year, Sweeney appeared in another controversial advertisement. He did a jeans ad for American Eagle. Its slogan was, "Sydney Sweeney has great genes."

Some people had opposed this advertisement on social media.

Questions were also raised regarding the combination of the words "jeans" and "jeans". This sparked debate about race and beauty standards.