The Guardian columnist defended Sydney Sweeney — Taipei Times
In the United States, an advertising campaign by actress Sydney Sweeney for a sports betting platform drew criticism from female athletes. They said the advertisement sexualizes the image of female athletes and demeans women’s sports. In one of the poses, Sweeney is depicted nude, covering her breasts with American footballs.
Criticism of the advertisement
As Taipei Times writes, the publication ran a column by The Guardian journalist Marina Hyde, who disagreed with this reaction. In her view, women’s sports are now a much larger and stronger phenomenon than one revealing advertising campaign featuring an actress.
Hyde also believes that critics should focus primarily on the promotion of gambling rather than on Sweeney. The columnist suggested that gambling causes people more harm than an actress appearing in an advertisement.
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Previous controversies
The author recalled that Sweeney had already found herself at the center of public discussions because of advertising campaigns. Last year, some critics linked an American Eagle advertisement featuring the phrase about “good jeans” to themes of white supremacy and eugenics.
Hyde also mentioned Sweeney’s response to public criticism of her appearance and acting abilities by a producer and film studies lecturer. At the time, the actress said that talk in Hollywood about women supporting one another does not correspond to reality and conceals negative remarks made behind other people’s backs.
The columnist’s position
Hyde called Sweeney a frequent target of cultural controversies and expressed the view that the reaction to her advertising, public statements, and personal life is disproportionate. The columnist urged people not to demand constant apologies or displays of shame from the young actress over her decisions.
