British sprinter Amy Hunt has reiterated her concerns regarding actress Sydney Sweeney’s recent naked betting advertisement, emphasizing her belief that such portrayals can negatively impact the perception and empowerment of women in sports. Hunt, who previously voiced criticism after Sweeney appeared in a promotional video for the bookmaker Novig, where she used sports equipment to cover herself, stated her position during a television appearance on Good Morning Britain.

Concerns Over Sexualization and Role Models

Hunt articulated that the primary goal when showcasing female athletes should be to highlight their physical capabilities and achievements, rather than focusing on their appearance. “When we’re trying to provide role models for young people and young women in sport, we really want to show that it’s about what your body can do, not so much what it looks like,” Hunt explained. She pointed to statistics indicating a significant drop-out rate among young girls from sports before the age of 16, suggesting that any perceived barriers should be removed to encourage participation and empowerment.

“We don’t need to place any kind of barrier whatsoever in their way in terms of providing the opportunity and the empowerment for them to still exercise, whatever that looks like, professional or just going to do a park run with your friends,” she added. Hunt stressed the importance of empowering young individuals to engage in physical activity without undue concern for their appearance or attire.

Broader Implications for Female Athletes

Addressing the potential impact of Sweeney’s advert on how men perceive female athletes, Hunt agreed that it could be detrimental. She drew a parallel to recent advancements in broadcasting regulations aimed at showcasing women’s competitions from more appropriate and empowering angles. “That was a big thing this year for us with the introduction of new broadcasting regulations, in showing the correct or the more appropriate angles of women competing,” Hunt noted.

Hunt emphasized her personal desire to compete and enjoy her sport, highlighting the importance of feeling comfortable and confident. “I want to race and I want to enjoy it and I want to run as fast as possible. So it’s really important to me that I feel comfortable and I show other people that you can feel comfortable,” she stated. She also touched upon the autonomy female athletes should have regarding their choice of sportswear, asserting that they should not feel compelled to wear specific attire.

“But also we get a choice of what to wear. Like, we’re not kind of forced into wearing the briefs,” Hunt said. “But yeah, it’s important to show kind of young people that it’s okay to be whoever you want to be, to wear whatever you want to wear, to look however you want to look, and you can achieve your dreams.”

Positive Reception and Broader Impact

Since voicing her initial concerns, Hunt has received considerable support. She suggested that the public reaction to her comments may have inadvertently amplified the positive message about women in sports. “The reaction has almost outweighed the moment,” she observed. “Because the first thing I saw was all of the positive compilations of women in sport.”

Hunt shared that her sister had also received messages from friends expressing gratitude for speaking out. “She said she’d had so many friends kind of reach out to her and say: ‘thank you so much for saying something’, because it’s been more positive. It separated itself from the moment entirely,” Hunt recounted. She clarified that her criticism was not personal against the actress but rather focused on the underlying message and intention of the advertisement.

“It’s not anything personal against that actress. It’s more the intention. It’s just moved into a completely different sphere now where we’re able to kind of have all these different things celebrating women in sport,” she explained. Hunt believes the conversation has evolved into a broader celebration of female athletic achievement.

Initial Criticism and Athlete Realities

Hunt first publicly addressed the advertisement following her fourth-place finish in the 200m race at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship. At 24 years old, and having previously achieved a record four gold medals at a single European Championships, she used her post-race platform to contrast the advert with the realities of elite athletic performance.

“Sydney Sweeney, this is what women is sport look like. 21.4 [seconds, the winning time of Melissa Jefferson-Wooden], muscles, hard work, sweat, blood, tears. This is a beautiful evening,” Hunt stated during her initial remarks. She contrasted this with the perception presented in Sweeney’s advert, noting that the life of a female athlete is often far from glamorous.

“Obviously we’ve seen in the last 24 hours everything about the Sydney Sweeney ad, you know, and when you’re a woman in sport, it’s not pretty. It’s not glamorous. It’s not sexy all the time, definitely,” Hunt said. She candidly shared personal challenges, such as dealing with menstruation during competitions, as examples of the less glamorous aspects of being a professional athlete.

“There’s some low moments. Even turning up to this championship, my period started yesterday, so that’s not really ideal, and that’s not ever what you try to really plan for,” she concluded.