Novig thought they had hit the marketing jackpot. Hollywood superstar Sydney Sweeney and a commercial guaranteed to go viral, giving women’s sports visibility. Their advertisement did go viral, but in the wrong direction. That’s where former NCAA champion Gracie Kramer stepped in to voice her concerns.
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“This ad is honestly infuriating. I’ve spent my entire life competing in a sport where female athletes have been oversexualized, reduced to our bodies, and forced to fight to be taken seriously for what we can actually do,” Kramer wrote on her Instagram story.
The former UCLA gymnast and current Utah State Aggies assistant coach was rather unhappy with the Novig-Sweeney commercial. So, she took to social media to post her own version, a supercut of her competing as a gymnast. Kramer also wrote a scathing note to Novig and Sweeney, unhappy with their depiction of women’s sports.
“So to see women’s sports once again being marketed through the male gaze feels like a massive step backward,” Kramer continued. “We should not have to take our clothes off to convince men that women belong in sports, or that we’re only worth watching if we’re showing enough skin.”
For the unversed, the Sydney Sweeney commercial featured the actress participating in various sports while her clothing left little to the imagination. That did not go down well with many, as the post’s comments were filled with criticism. Many even called it the “worst commercial ever”. That included former Olympic gold medalist Ariarne Titmus, who was just as unhappy as Kramer with the commercial.
“I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this,” Titmus wrote on Instagram. “Not only is it a kick in the face to every woman who had dedicated her life to perfecting her craft, but every women who enjoys sports for what it really is – teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellent, unity …How do we live in a world where monetising a women’s body and sexualising women’s sport is still a thing?”
The aftermath led to Kramer’s supercut, which has since gone viral with over 10 million views. Not just that, unknowingly, the former UCLA star kicked off a new viral trend. Since then, social media has seen female athletes taking to various platforms to post their own supercuts. In fact, Kramer’s Instagram story is filled with numerous videos of the same.
“Idk what Sydney Sweey was doing, but this is what women in sports look like,” the captions read.
British Olympian Amy Hunt even called Sweeney out after her race at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships. Australian swimmer Lani Pallister shared a supercut of her daily program, her races and gold medal wins.
She wasn’t the only one as the viral trend extended across sports. From water-polo star Tilly Kearns and world champion boxer Skye Nicolson to sprinter Bree Rizzo, a catalog of other athletes all shared their supercuts.
“If you still don’t think it’s that deep, I invite you to do your best to empathize with every female athlete who has had to compete while simultaneously being objectified on the court, disrespected on the field, and oversexualized in the media,” Kramer further wrote.
“I don’t typically speak out on controversial topics, but to me, this isn’t controversial. This is about demanding respect for female athletes and protecting the future of women in sports. We have worked far too hard to be taken seriously to keep reinforcing the idea that our bodies are more valuable than our abilities.”
Gracie Kramer’s anger over the Novig-Sweeney ad quickly became bigger than one post. Her supercut sparked a wider trend as female athletes pushed back by showing their sport, achievements, and abilities on their own terms.