Olympian’s lifelong fight that Sydney Sweeney ad ‘undoes in less than a minute’
Updated . First published at
The vile comments about Tilly Kearns’s body started long before she ever won an Olympic medal, and they didn’t stop when she scored two silvers and proved herself on the world stage at Paris 2024.
Now the Australian Olympic water polo player, 25, wonders if they ever will, especially in light of Sydney Sweeney’s controversial Novig ad last week.
Stingers star Tilly Kearns called for Sweeney to “do better”. Mark Metcalfe
“Water polo is a swimsuit sport [and] our bodies are just constantly on display and constantly commented on, in a way a lot of other athletes don’t deal with,” Kearns told nine.com.au.
“The worst of it is keyboard warriors online, not anyone I actually deal with day to day, but I can tell you first hand that two Olympics deep, it doesn’t stop because you’ve proven yourself.
“It’s something that a lot of female athletes have quietly had to live and deal with, but the disappointment comes with this ad being on such a grand level [and] perpetuated by one of the most famous and recognisable women in the world.”
To Kearns, the 58-second ad feels like proof that misogyny is still deeply ingrained in the sporting world, and that those in power are willing to use women’s bodies to achieve their own ends.
“It shows that still, in 2026 the easiest way to get male money and attention is through desirability and the sex appeal of women,” she said.
“Female athletes spend their whole careers trying to flip that equation – to be taken seriously for our skill, expertise, talent, strength. An ad like this undoes it in less than a minute.”
She fears that will only serve to normalise the vile sexual comments she’s been forced to endure for years, and make it even more mainstream.
That doesn’t just put professional female athletes at risk; it will also put every little girl who tries out for the swim team, kicks a footy, or pulls on a tennis skirt at risk of being sexualised and quitting sport altogether.
A 2023 study found that one third of Australian girls who stop playing sport cited body image as a major contributing factor, and two thirds said they didn’t have a female athlete role model to look up to.
“This ad teaches young women that being looked at is worth more than being good, and that’s a brutal thing to hand a teenage girl,” Kearns said.
Sydney Sweeney’ controversial Novig ad has caused fierce debate in the sporting world and broader society. Instagram/@sydneysweeney/Novig
“For young men, it teaches them the same old lesson we have spent decades trying to fight against, that women in sport are still there for them to look at, not just to compete. Neither of those lessons move anything forward.”
When she tried to take a that message to social media over the weekend, she was met with even more resistance.
Strangers accused Kearns of being jealous of Sweeney, of dog-piling, of being anti-feminist or a radical feminist, they took aim at her body, her looks, her intelligence and even her sporting achievements.
Some critics even accused her of being jealous that Sweeney was probably paid more for the ad than Kearns makes in a year (no figures have been disclosed).
Kearns wants female athletes to be celebrated and respected for what their bodies can do, not sexualised for how they look. nna\KCampbell
Those “freaks”, Kearns said, really don’t deserve any oxygen from her.
“It’s disappointment, not jealousy. It’s a critique of a creative decision, not Sydney Sweeney herself,” Kearns said.
“She made more off one ad than most of us make in lifetime of full-time training. Pointing that out isn’t jealousy, it’s just true. Power to her.”
After all, it’s no secret that Hollywood A-listers are better paid than most female athletes, many of whom have been fighting for pay parity for decades.
And that’s what Kearns actually cares about; the advancement and empowerment of female athletes though equitable opportunities, funding, support and respect.
When Kearns made a now-viral Instagram post hitting back at the Novig ad, it wasn’t about attacking a Hollywood actress – it was about celebrating “real women sports content”, showing girls what they can achieve, and rejecting objectification.
Kearns wants a future where women are uplifted in sport, not sexualised. Instagram/@tillykearns
“It’s been unreal to see so many women who work and operate in the world of sports fight back and show what it’s really like to be in the space,” she said.
And you don’t need to be an Olympian, a pro athlete, or a public figure to support the cause and fight back against the sexualisation Kearns and women like her have copped for years.
“You don’t need a platform to say something to the 10 people around you, whether it’s your team, your club, your little sister or most importantly brother,” Kearns said.
“The conversation moves because enough individual people refuse to let it slide.”
