Sydney Sweeney knows how to get people talking. Apparently, putting a Hollywood star in a provocative sports betting campaign is one way to make sure the internet stays busy.
Kelly Stafford has now joined the conversation and backlash.
The wife of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford recently shared her thoughts on Sweeney’s controversial campaign for Novig, a sports prediction and trading platform. The ad features the “Euphoria” actress posing nude while strategically covered by sports equipment.
Apparently, a regular sports betting advertisement was simply not dramatic enough.
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Sweeney’s campaign has sparked plenty of debate online. Some people see it as bold marketing, others think it goes too far. And social media has responded with its favorite activity: arguing about it.
Stafford, 37, weighed in on the controversy on Monday when she shared a video from influencer Daniel Hong to her Instagram Story with an emphatic endorsement of his message: “THIS THIS THIS THIS.”
In the video, Hong, a father of two daughters, argues over a photo of Sweeney that the ongoing controversy surrounding the ad reinforces a lesson he believes every young girl needs to hear early: attention and self-worth are not interchangeable.
“Appearance can get you attention: likes, comments, followers, money, opportunities,” Hong said. “All of that is very real. What I want them to understand is that attention and value are not the same thing.”
That message apparently resonated with Stafford, who shares four daughters with Matthew and has frequently discussed parenting on social media and her “The Morning After” podcast, which is currently on hiatus.
The Novig campaign has ignited a larger debate over the sexualization of women in sports, with several prominent female athletes criticizing its imagery.
Sports betting has become a major part of modern sports culture. Betting companies regularly use celebrities, athletes and flashy campaigns to attract attention.
Sweeney’s ad simply takes that formula and turns the volume way up.
For Stafford, it appears to be another reminder of the world her daughters are growing up in.
For everyone else, it is another internet debate.
And judging by how quickly people reacted, the internet has once again found something to argue about before dinner.
Flip to the next page for the wild betting ad photos of Sydney Sweeney…
