Sydney Sweeney and tradwife influencers may look like they are selling very different images, but the publicity strategy is similar: perform a stereotype that draws attention, then lean on plausible deniability when the criticism starts.
Lawrence Rosenberg, a communications strategist and media trainer, said Sweeney and tradwives are 'two sides of the same publicity coin.' In his view, plausible deniability keeps the conversation going and helps maintain the brand.
Sweeney's nearly nude ad for the sports betting app Novig triggered outrage. In response, she said the concept was 'simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports.' The campaign, she said, brought that idea to life with 'confidence, humor, and a playful edge.'
Novig's CEO, Jacob Fortinsky, said on September 16 that Sweeney drove the messaging and visuals of the ad. In the ad, Sweeney poses naked except for minimal coverage from 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, Sweeney posted an Instagram story on September 14 featuring athletes, including Serena Williams, posing nude for ESPN's 'The Body Issue.' The post appeared to suggest her ad and those photoshoots were the same, after female athletes said they found the Novig campaign reductive.
Lauren Beeching, a celebrity crisis PR strategist, said Sweeney is 'extremely savvy' and likely did the math on the ad, concluding that the disapproval costs less than the attention earns her. She also said that if Sweeney had a hand in writing the ad, she had a hand in her own defense, because a brand that says it is interested only in sport can dismiss criticism as politics.
The same dynamic shows up with tradwife influencers like Hannah Neeleman and Nara Smith. Both have rejected the 'tradwife' label in recent interviews, even as they continue making the content that built their followings.
Critics say their videos promote a regressive form of womanhood they are not actually living. They film spotless kitchens, time-consuming meals, and smiling domestic scenes, while also building successful businesses.
Smith spent close to her entire 1.5-hour episode of 'Call Her Daddy' arguing that she is not a homemaker first, saying: 'I'm a working mom.' Yet she also said her online presence took off when she leaned into the passive, cooking-for-her-family format she became known for.
Neeleman said in a June 2026 interview with New York Magazine: 'When the term tradwife comes up, or I'm seeing things about 'Yesteryear,' I don't lean into them.' But her homesteading content helped land her the November 2024 cover of Evie Magazine.
The business lesson is simple: outrage can be a growth engine when the brand knows how to separate the image from the label. That may work well for creators chasing attention, but it also shows how easily public debate gets converted into revenue, reach, and leverage.
Founders should pay attention here. A sharp brand can use ambiguity to grow faster, but the same tactic can hollow out trust if customers feel they are being sold one thing and handed another. The playbook is effective because it exploits attention economics. The risk is that once the label changes, the underlying offer may not have.
