Sydney Sweeney and tradwives are different sides of the same coin

Sydney Sweeney on a billboard in Times Square in her birthday suit and a tradwife milking a cow in a prairie-style dress have more in common than you might think.

First, they perform (very different) stereotypes of the ideal woman for lucrative attention: Sweeney the hot "pick me" girl, and tradwives like Ballerina Farm's Hannah Neeleman and Nara Smith, the pious mother and wife. Then, when it comes to responding to the inevitable backlash, they plead ignorance.

Sweeney and tradwives "are two sides of the same publicity coin," Lawrence Rosenberg, a communications strategist and media trainer for business leaders and companies, told Business Insider. "Plausible deniability keeps the conversation going and allows them to maintain their brand," he said.

After Sweeney's nearly-nude ad for the sports betting app Novig sparked outrage, she said the concept was "simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports. The campaign brings that idea to life with confidence, humor, and a playful edge."

In the ad, Sweeney, who is a strategic partner with and has equity in Novig, poses naked bar the minimal coverage provided by a basketball or tennis racket, and says: "No betting on wars or deaths and no politics. Just you, your takes, and sports."

As the backlash grew, on September 14 she posted an Instagram story featuring athletes, including Serena Williams, posing nude for ESPN's "The Body Issue." The post seemed to suggest her ad and their photoshoots were the same, after female athletes said they found the Novig campaign reductive. On September 16, Novig's CEO, Jacob Fortinsky, said Sweeney drove the messaging and visuals of the ad.

"Sweeney is extremely savvy, and that's the part getting lost in the noise," Lauren Beeching, a celebrity crisis PR, told Business Insider. In an interview she gave as a rising star in 2024, Sweeney shared how she convinced her parents to let her pursue acting by giving a Powerpoint presentation outlining her five-year business plan. Sweeney likely did the math on the Novig ad and "worked out that the disapproval costs her far less than the attention earns her," Beeching said.

She added: "If she had a hand in writing it, she had a hand in her own defense, because a brand that's declared itself interested only in sport can dismiss any criticism as somebody else introducing politics. The answer was ready before the ad was."

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Sweeney already used the "outrage then deny" tactic after critics labeled her 2025 American Eagle ad a white supremacist dog whistle. After staying quiet for five months, she told GQ last November that she loves jeans and simply "did a jeans ad."