They Called Her a '1950s Pinup.' She Posted Another Ad.
Conservative commentator Tiana Lowe Doescher praised Sweeney on Newsmax for not groveling. Critics called the second Novig ad retrograde. Novig hit No. 11 in the App Store.
Open Hailing Frequencies ↓
Sydney Sweeney posted a second Novig video on October 11 in her underwear, covered herself with footballs, and said she was flattered by the attention... Her critics had a new label ready. Conservative commentators had a defense ready. Neither changed a single thing about the strategy.
The second spot drew over 650,000 Instagram likes within 24 hours, per Covers.com. Her opening line: "There are grown men making spreadsheets to bet on what color underwear I'm wearing. I mean, I'm flattered?" Feminist critics called it retrograde, a throwback to 1950s pinup culture, an embarrassment to women's sports.
On Monday, Washington Examiner columnist Tiana Lowe Doescher went on Newsmax's "The Right Squad" to praise Sweeney for not responding with a "groveling apology." The segment framed Sweeney's silence and escalation as defiance of left-leaning critics, a culture war victory in real time.
The Label Is the Point
Call something "1950s pinup" and you are handing the subject a political identity she never asked for. It is the same machinery that produced "MAGA Barbie" earlier in the cycle: assign an unflattering frame, then wait for a denial that confirms the debate. Sweeney has declined to play.
The critics and the conservative defenders are running the same play from opposite directions. Both groups are generating earned media for a campaign that was explicitly designed to generate controversy. Every op-ed, every Newsmax segment, every tweet calling it retrograde adds to the total impression count. Novig's equity partner is watching those numbers.
The Numbers So Far
Newsweek reported that Novig climbed from No. 50 to No. 11 in the App Store sports rankings. The company's reported valuation rose from $500 million to $2 billion after the campaign launched. Sweeney holds an undisclosed equity stake in Novig. The follower math is less flattering: Variety reported she lost over 200,000 Instagram followers after the first ad ran. But follower counts are not equity.
Her Complex interview made her logic plain. She said she wants creative authority and involvement from the ground up, not a standard endorsement fee. The Novig campaign gives her both. Whether critics call it retrograde or conservatives call it genius, the equity vests either way.
Sweeney has not commented publicly on the "pinup" label. Novig has not issued a statement beyond CEO Jacob Fortinsky's earlier remarks that she was "driving a lot of the visuals and the messaging" behind the campaign.
The Ohio cease-and-desist deadline for Novig is October 16. The company has been equally quiet on that front.
