Sydney Sweeney's controversial Novig campaign has led Zendaya's mother, Claire Stoermer, to share a message on body image and raising daughters in the age of social media.
Stoermer reposted a message from parenting creator Samantha Seles, who described the challenges of raising daughters in what she referred to as the 'Sydney Sweeney era'.
This post follows backlash over the advertisement in which Sweeney appears nearly nude, using sports equipment for coverage.
Parenting Perspectives
Seles expressed concern that cultural messages may encourage young girls to seek attention through appearance, rather than focusing on Sweeney's personal choice to display her body.
'I'm raising a daughter in the Sydney Sweeney era. And no, my biggest concern isn't Sydney Sweeney taking her clothes off,' she said. 'I'm not raising Sydney Sweeney. IDGAF what she does.'
She noted that although society claims bodies do not define worth, it still shows that appearance is a powerful way to attract attention.
'I'm raising my daughters. And I'm trying to raise them in a world that somehow tells girls BOTH: "Your body doesn't define your worth"; "But your body is one of the fastest ways to get attention,"' she wrote.
Stoermer reposted the message, adding, 'I love this take!!!'
Sydney Sweeney Faces Backlash
Since its launch on September 9, Sweeney's Novig campaign has received criticism from several female athletes, including British sprinter Amy Hunt, gymnast Gracie Kramer, and Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus.
Their criticism centres on the sexualisation of women in sport and the campaign's portrayal of Sweeney's body alongside sporting imagery, which they view as unnecessary.
The backlash also coincided with Sweeney reportedly losing over 200,000 Instagram followers.
According to Social Blade data cited by International Business Times, Sweeney gained about 50,000 followers in the three days after the campaign launched, then lost 136,848 on Sunday and another 68,000 on Monday.
This represents about one per cent of her Instagram audience.
Sweeney later responded by sharing images of athletes including Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Sue Bird, and Megan Rapinoe, each of whom has previously posed nude or semi-nude.
Many noted that these examples differ, as the athletes were photographed to celebrate their sporting achievements, rather than appearing in an advertisement for a sports prediction platform.
Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky stated that Sweeney initiated discussions about the partnership and contributed to the campaign's creative direction. She now serves as a strategic partner and equity holder in the sports-focused prediction market.
Another Issue Raised
Stoermer also shared a separate video from creator Jackie Johnston, who focused on Novig and prediction markets rather than Sweeney's nudity.
Johnston raised concerns about sports prediction platforms, gambling, and regulation. When sharing the video, Stoermer called it 'so so interesting'.
Stoermer's posts follow her daughter Zendaya and Sweeney collaborating on Euphoria. However, her comments do not suggest the posts were directed at Sweeney personally or indicate any dispute between the actresses.
Instead, Stoermer's response highlights broader issues related to Sweeney's campaign, such as the use of women's bodies in advertising and the messages these campaigns send to young girls about attention and self-worth.
