The Rising’s Growing Together Podcast - Sydney Sweeney’s Controversial Ad: Are Women Tearing Women Down?

Episode Date: September 21, 2026

Is it possible to disagree with a woman without tearing her down?This week we're talking about the Sydney Sweeney advert that's sparked a huge debate around women, sexualisation, empowerment and women's sport.Was the advert empowering? Was it in poor taste? Should Sydney Sweeney have thought more carefully before taking the job? Or is the criticism and hate towards her actually missing the point?And more importantly...Why are women so quick to turn against other women?We get into the difference between having an opinion and bullying someone, whether women can be sexy AND smart AND strong, why women seem to face different expectations around how they look, and whether social media has made it far too easy to pile on someone you've never met.We don't completely agree with each other either and that's kind of the point.You can disagree.You can criticise.You can have an opinion.But does that mean you have to tear someone apart?This conversation goes way beyond one advert. It's about women supporting women, double standards, social media, sexuality, confidence and how we treat each other.So what do you think?Was the advert empowering or in poor taste?And where do you draw the line between criticism and bullying?Let us know in the comments but as always, have the conversation with kindness. ❤️Growing Together is the podcast where two best friends of 20 years talk honestly about motherhood, careers, relationships, confidence, life and everything in between.New episodes every week.

Hi guys. Hey! Welcome back. We are here for another week. We are. September, energy is slowly coming back. It is. We are getting there.

It's weird how I actually enjoy routine much better. Although it's more packed of stuff to do. It just makes me feel better. No, I think it makes everyone feel better. And I think you always wish for a break in that routine, but a break that's too long. Yes, that's what it is. Give us a couple days and then back to the routine.

But now, feeling that's a little bit. like things are slowly starting to get better. Although that might be my new ancient seed thing that I've got. Oh, what? Can you see a tiny little dot? I can now, you said it. Yeah, so Liam ordered me these seeds. I can't remember what it's called.

I'll have to say it afterwards. But, yeah, you put them in your ear. You can put them place them in different places. So you get a little booklet and it tells you where on your ear to place it. but it can be for anxiety, memory, digestion, energy. Like, looks at a different things. Like, similar to like an acupuncture sort of. I think it hits the acupuncture spots in your ear and it stays there.

So it's like a real proper thing. So what have you got yours on? So I've got mine in kind of the master position, which is like actually hits every single one of those different things. So I thought, I'll start there. How have you got it in? Is it piss? No, no, no.

It's like a really tiny, very sticky. like sticker. Is it? And it stays in for five days and then you change it. And every couple of hours or couple of times a day, you can just kind of massage it. I have no idea how it works. But the company was on Shark Tank or Dragon's Den.

One of them, English one or the American one. So yeah, Liam saw it and was like, I was like, you blame me for buying a lot of crap on the internet and he's bought these. But I've had it in for two, three days. I feel really good today. Do you? Yeah.

I don't know if it's my coffee. No, before I even had my coffee, I woke up still at half six, but just... Fresh and energised. Just a bit more upbeat and, yeah. I don't know if it's because the kids are like getting up and, yeah. Or whether it's my little seed doing its thing. Well, fuck it, if these things help.

Do you know what I mean? Yeah, I've just bought a... Or the healthy, natural way, if that's easy. Yeah. Well, it's like... Yeah, I think it's 24-carat gold. And where it's placed, yeah, and it's like an ancient healing method. I think that's a love of go.

The girl that did it actually, she puts her story on. She was depressed in bed, no job, couldn't even just get out of bed to do anything, really, like, majorly depressed. And then she went to the doctors. They basically said you've got, because she said she had no energy. They diagnosed her of, yeah, like chronic low energy. But there was no cure, there was no help. I don't know, something along those times. It wasn't exactly that.

No, no, no. Basically, like, yeah, you've got... Yes. Like, long... Yeah, no energy, whatever it is. But couldn't help her with anything. So then she went down the, like, the more of the holistic route

to try and help herself. And then... Come across these. Completely changed how she felt. And, yeah, now she's helping everybody else. So... My question is, though, do you then have to wear her forever? Does that make sense?

Possibly. do you know what I mean? Yeah, I guess it only helps what... Yeah, maybe. I don't know actually. Maybe you can help you for a bit and then if you take them off, you might stay like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Who knows? I like that, though. That's interesting. I like stuff like that. Yeah, especially like the... Not that I don't want to do it. It's a sticker. Come on now.

Honestly, I don't feel it. I forget it's there. Yeah. I forget it's there. Once it's in, it's in. I love that. Yeah. So, yeah, I've got quite a few, like, little things like that lately.

I've just bought this morning actually neurogum. Not sure if you've heard of that. So it's chewing gum, but it's got all these like real good, it basically replaces caffeine, coffee and stuff in a chewing gum, but it sharpens your focus and people are like, whether it's just fake videos, but they're like, oh, I can feel it working, like, oh my God. But again, it's another company that's gone on Shark Tank, I think it was, and loads of celebrities are endorsing it and saying that they use it and it's great.

So that's on the way as well. Oh, wow. It'll be interesting. As long as there's no sugar in it, I'll be happy with that. Yeah, no, it's like clean energy. Yeah, yeah. Like it's got, I think, a bit of caffeine in it, but that, I can't, L-thamine or something.

I don't. All these things would really interest me. But, you know, like, can you imagine if we went back to, like, my nan and I said, I've got this gum and it's like energy gum or whatever. They'll be like, oh, fuck off. No. Go and have a run. Yeah, no, it's true.

It's true though, isn't it? These things that are coming, that, but it's used in probably more science, if anything. Yeah. Of these ways of doing it, that's why. Or he's it or whatever it is. But it is interesting. That's why I like this because it is, like, say, fully holistic. Yeah, I like that.

Ancient Chinese medicine kind of stuff. And it's like, yeah, I like it. All that kind of stuff. I'm really into my health era. Yeah. Trying to feel good about myself and give myself what my body needs. I've got my supplements. I've got my ear thing.

I've got chewing. I'm coming. Yeah, good. I'll let you know how it goes. Absolutely fucking nothing. So we'll see if it works. Then I'll get some. Cool.

So today I wanted to talk to you about, I'm not sure if you've seen it online, but there's a lot of controversy going around about a campaign that Sidney Sweeney, the actress, has just done. Right, yeah. So I haven't, but I have. I've seen that name kind of pop up.

Yeah. I didn't really know what was going on. Cool. So she's just done a campaign. for... Who is she? She's an actress. Oh, okay.

You would have seen her in a few things. Her biggest role was in the TV series Euphoria with Zendaya. So she's done multiple seasons of that and she was recently in a movie with another kind of up-and-coming big actor.

Can't think who now, but I've watched it as a good film. So she is actually a really good actress. She's done it for years and she's done it from young, but she's now got a name for herself. So she's done a campaign for a sporting company

which I've just looked they're actually like a betting app I think Oh okay right yeah So you're betting app So it's actually a gambling Trading app For fans So it's actually a gambling then if anything

By the looks of it yeah So anyway she's done this campaign And I had a quick look at it She's pretty much naked for most of it With like different sporting equipment covering things So like holding footballs and like hockey sticks and things like that.

So the controversy around it is she's sexualising women's sports. So obviously women's sports is not taking as seriously as men's sports. We know that. We're definitely getting into a position where it's taken a bit more seriously. But a lot of female athletes are enraged because you're basically kind of taking a few steps back. We've got to a point where we're taking a bit more seriously. We're a bit more respected and you've just sexualised it.

Rather than actually empower what our bodies can do, you're just showcasing what your body looks like. Yeah, you're really out of the girl group here. Yeah. You're feeling like that. Yeah. No? Or going against it in a way.

Yeah. So... Well, when you first said that to me, that really shows to me that, that obviously it's aimed at men. This advert, or whatever it is, campaign, whatever it is, campaign sign of advert? Is that an American way of saying it? Yeah. Okay, I thought it was like a charity thing when you say campaign.

That's why I don't get it. Yeah, no. Okay, so this advert, yeah, so that would, what I say, it's a sporting betting app, and it's clearly aimed at men. Yeah. First of all, betting men don't really need the naked women to go and bet anyway, because they're going to go and bet. But set tells.

So now everyone knows what this app is called. True. That is true. But so, so yeah, the ideas for attention is great. But I do, I get the kind of like,

the aginess towards her. Yeah. For, for, for, for that reason. Do you know what I mean? Like you say,

especially sporting women. Yeah. Why just didn't they do an advert as a normal, actual sporting, woman. Yeah. No?

Because that's what it's about. You're betting on sports, women, men, whatever, no. Well, clearly their message was they wanted to sexualise it and, yeah, for men's attraction. And she took the job offer. She took it. Yeah. Yeah, which is true because you can kind of say, well, it's on her to kind of have

maybe looked at that and said, do I need to be naked? Yeah. Yeah. You know, but it's hard because, you know, we want to continue moving forward. We want to continue empowering. women and yeah she might be pretty naked but can we argue that that's empowering that that's progressive that we can be both we can be sexy we can be smart we can be strong um but the argument is that actually her doing that doesn't achieve any of that yeah then maybe like you say they

could have maybe switched that advert up a little bit and started or finished off with her if that's how they wanted it like that but actually put the put the thing actually her doing sport, you know, like you may see me like this, but actually this is what you're betting on, which is an actual sports woman doing sports. Yeah. Do you know what I mean?

And that maybe would have had probably a lot more respect and support than just clearly bit like a page three magazine. And it's very seductive, not only the way she looks, but the way she's talking. It's very kind of, yeah, seductive and flirty. Come and bet on me. Yeah. Yeah, it's a little, yeah, like I say, I only watched it briefly and quickly, so I haven't watched the entire thing.

I feel like now any, any husbands are going bet on that company anyway, that's fucked. Wow. Why are you betting with them? Why have you all of a sudden downloaded this app? Is it because of Sydney? So I think the company are smart because the fact that they've just caused this whole thing means that people are hearing about this company regardless. Like good PR, bad PR is PR at the end of the day. Yeah. So they're smart because you're going to have,

it's caused this whole controversy in this whole debate. We're even talking about it. So obviously now I even know what that company is called and I would never have known before. But for her as an actress. There's videos she's posted of her crying.

So she's being absolutely annihilated which I don't think's fair. I think that it was a little bit in poor taste. I don't think, you know, maybe like you say, I don't know if they, fully explain everything to you before you take a job on. There's been a few celebrities over the years who have done an advert and then it's got

massive backlash because they just haven't realised in the moment how it's going to be taken. So clearly she might have thought I'm empowering myself. Yeah, I've got a good body. I'm going to advertise, you know, do my job. And she is doing a job at the end of the day. So I don't think she should get hate. But I do think even though she shouldn't, yeah, she should be a bit. bit of criticism, but she shouldn't be getting like to the level that she is.

No, but nowadays people do that anyway. Some people don't even know what's going on and they're still bloody right something awful or do something awful. And you'll probably find that most of the comments are going to be women against women, which really kind of goes against the whole point of the argument. You're arguing that we need to empower each other and that what she's done doesn't, but then you're annihilating her to the point that she's crying and she's upset. And yeah, there's a small argument to say that you probably should have thought about that first. But any more than that and any extra hate that you get, you're actually still part of the problem. Yeah, well, this is it because part of me first thought, okay, well, what's the issue? And then part of me

was like, okay, I do get the issue. You know what I mean? I do kind of get a little bit aside of both. More probably that side of it because it didn't, I haven't seen it. But the way that you've explained it, I don't see the need to go so far to be sexual in that sort of an advert. And you as a woman and as someone who's accepted that job, you know, maybe it didn't even, maybe it didn't even come into her mind that it was going to, that it was coming across that way or people would have thought that way, which is, which is maybe a little bit naive, I don't know, or maybe just innocence, just like, I'm doing a job and this is what, you know what I mean?

As an actress, I think she has actually been quite sexualised herself anyway by just the industry. And we don't really know what goes on behind the scenes of these. I'm sure she does get a lot of accolades for her acting. And I've seen some of the acting. And she is very good as an actress. She definitely is talented. But I see more comments and articles and things about how she looks on like the red carpet.

She's got a great figure. She's got big boobs. Like she's definitely spoken about a lot about how she looks, not just her talent, which is just that whole industry is all about how you look. It is. Which it shouldn't be. It shouldn't. But, you know, she probably would agree with that, I imagine.

And that's exactly how the athletes are feeling. Yeah. It's all about the way I look, not about what I can do with my body and, you know, the, the championships, the medals and everything, trophies that I've won. So, yeah, I think she's maybe a bit naive, maybe not. Maybe she thought it was empowering. And for some women, I bet they'd look at that and be like, yeah, I agree. More power to you. And I think we can be sexy and we can be smart.

Like if I posted a bikini picture on the weekend and then I'm posting myself in the office during the week, I don't expect to be respected any less. No. But at the same time, I think that advert was in poor taste. Yeah, there's a fine line, isn't there? And I think, like you say, it could have been, it could have had a lot better views on it

if you'd maybe just switched it up and portrayed it a little bit more less sexual. Yeah. I think there's a lot of opinion. for her and on her side. The company of the advert or whatever idea, like you say, it is what it is, but the person who's doing the job. Well, yeah, because the company's not being slated.

Well, they probably are, actually. I haven't seen anything about their company saying, like, you've done the wrong thing. I've seen a lot of hate towards her, which again, it's not her company. She's not the director. She's not the videographer. She's turned up to do a job that she's paid to do.

So when you really strip it back like that, whatever the job looks like, yes, she's in control of what job she takes, but ultimately she's not the creative director of the advert. No, no, no, no. But then my... So is the responsibility on her to have known and to have not done it? Or is she just doing her job and we should respect that

and actually the company should get the hate? Well, I think, I think she would have the choice of accepting a job and knowing what, you know, part of that job is to do. and I think if she thought about it she should or would have mentioned that maybe we should do it a bit more like this again I don't think it's even come across I don't think she's just done a job

and that's it I don't think she's thought but then maybe that's just that's what happens. Experience obliged would make it actually think the other side of thing the only other side of it sometimes we can just be too much like tread on egg shells so fucking what she's done an advert

it's for a betting app it's not against any one. It's not going or, you know what I mean? It's not actually saying it. And I think if maybe they're being a bit too sensitive as well, I don't know. I don't know. You know what I mean? Maybe if it was in, I was in that position, it'd be a different thing and I'd be like, she's a fucking bitch. You know,

like, it's a hard one to say because I just feel a little bit of both, to be honest, on both sides. Yeah, it kind of reminds me a little bit of when Kendall Jenner done an advert and people took it completely away saying, I can't remember if it, they

said she was ignorant or racist or something and again she was in tears apologize i had no idea that's what it was going to be like that's i never thought about that when i was doing it and and apologize for it but to be honest i'm feeling like yes if we really sexualize women's sports it probably isn't going to be taken seriously i agree with the that argument shouldn't be the way it is we should be able to be strong and sexy, that's fine. But yeah, we're probably not going to be respect kind of professional and respect doesn't go hand and hand with being sexy and having less clothes on. The less clothes you wear, generally you are seen as less. And it shouldn't be like that. And I don't think it should be like that. But how we live today, that is kind of the way it goes.

But having said that, I think that she has the right to do whatever job she wants. It's not her responsibility in my eyes. Yeah, she could really think about it a bit, but I don't think the whole responsibility is on her. No, I think it's the company. You've obviously, the company have obviously done a great job in terms of raising awareness of their company and yeah, but I think they could have done, they should have really empowered women and shown the strength of them and the sporting side of it and they chose not to. But I think the, the ultimate, kind of criticism should be on them. They're the ones that created the advert.

I agree. She's being paid to do a job. Whether you agree about it or not, whether you think it's too sexual or not, yet I think that she could have thought about it, but I don't actually think that she's the problem. No, but also this may be just, I don't. But then at the same time,

maybe none of them really thought about the actual kind of criticism and backlash that we're going to get from it. And maybe now, this is actually just more aware, and from now, going forward actually, it will be a little bit more, I don't know, realistic, I don't know, but who knows? I think the company knew what they were doing.

I think that they're going to be very happy with the outcome. They might publicly apologise, but ultimately they've got their company brand out there, which is the whole point you pay for a campaign. Unfortunately, now you've got another woman who is now who is now really massively affected by it, who might actually, Have her career affected by it?

Will she be taken seriously? It's hard because as an actress, you do have to be seen to be as serious in what you do. But at the same time, again, just because you've got your clothes off, you're still a talented actress. I should be able to be going. I don't think she should be getting,

but then this is what's sad about these times that how people do just go for people like that. Do you know what I mean? Just like, come on now. Yeah. You know, like you say, we're going against the whole point of this really. So, you know, she's obviously seeing that it's upset people.

And I'm sure that going forward, she will think about that more. Yeah. It's one of them. That's it. Do you know what I mean? Now leave it. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

I think people are taking it way too far. Make your comment. Make your opinion. But don't push someone to the point of making them feel really bad about something. When it's not the end of the world. Yeah, you could argue that it's taking sports back a little bit. but the reality is sexualised women is always going to be there.

Sex cells, men and women, especially women. It's not going to be the last advert. And actually, I think someone pulled up a picture but it must have been back in the 60s or the 70s because I could tell by their hair. Yeah. Of two women that were naked with like tennis racket. So it's not the first naked sports campaign.

No, it's not. I think they thought they were getting kind of out of that bit and it feels like we've all took... Yeah, you could argue it feels like we're going to... We took a few steps back where the only benefit that a women can have is to be sexualized when it's not true. But at the same time, I think the biggest issue is that we are put in a box. You're either sexualized or you're strong. You can be both.

And I think the amount of hate is not right. We should be empowering women. And at the same time, we can be both. you don't have to pick one or the other. Like, I'm sure there's a lot of smart women out there that think I have to be smart and I have to be reserved and I have to be, you know, very smartly dressed and to be taken seriously. And even I've done it in work.

Like, I started sales very young. Got a bit of a chubby baby face. Like, I looked even probably younger when I started. I think I was, yeah, 21, 22 when I was out there trying to get businesses to work with me. So I did make sure I had my hands. hair done, have my makeup done, I had suits on, like to look professional. Yeah. I think we have broken that stereotype a little bit. I think there's a lot of powerhouse women out there that are showing a bit of everything. Yeah. And I think, yeah, we should be like that. Yeah. And there's

never this question around men. That's the thing that I think is most annoying. No, women, we're tearing each other down. Yeah. But it's not the same for men. No, it never is though, is it? No. It never is. And I think in this case, yeah, maybe she should have just been, maybe, aware of how it's how it's made you know sports women feel but not such not such negativity and nastiness i don't think i don't think that's fair yeah well the people in the comments that's bullying that becomes yeah the people in the comments that are bullying are trying to stand up for empowering women and it's like you're completely contradicting yourself and even i saw today one of the girls that's in Geordie Shore.

Obviously, for those of you that haven't watched it, it's just a TV show about loads of people from Newcastle that go out every weekend, get absolutely smashed. There's, yeah, nakedness, there's sex, there's, yeah, very crazy TV show. It sounds like us when we were like back in the day, Bill. Good thing they weren't cameras. But she's literally posted pictures even recently,

And I mean, the show has continued here and there. But, I mean, she was on the show when she was like 20. I think she was maybe even 19. And now she's in her 30s. And she's screenshoted and posted some of the comments of a recent photo that she's posted. Like, you fat cow. I mean, he is not fat. You fat cow.

You deserve to be attacked. I can't wait till someone attacks you. Like, not just like about the way she looks. and saying they physically wish harm on her. Multiple, multiple comments. And she's like, this is the stuff I have to deal with every day. Well, that's down to the companies in my eyes. That's the big thing on the companies,

which is social media. I've been completely, completely of control of that. And them kind of people, and I'm not being funny, you want to fucking talk security about one of my apps that keeps getting blocked out. And I haven't violated any terms of conditions or use or whatever. of the bleed now they're telling me. And then you've got people like that making comments on people and making people feel that the way they do

and probably quite scared. I'd be scared a little bit. You know what I mean? Yeah. So yeah, I think that's on the company. The same as this advert. I think obviously the ideas on the company. Yeah, she's got the responsibility of taking the job and doing it.

I honestly don't think she actually thought the impact would have this kind of thing. you know, this, this, um, this criticism of back that. She's got more than enough money. I'm pretty sure she's regretting it right now. Again, going forward, she shouldn't have to. Exactly that. Going forward, you said your piece, you've made it clear of how you do feel. Yeah.

And I'm sure going forward, she now understands and is a lot more aware now. Yeah. On that side of it. I don't think, again, she hasn't been part of the girl group. I do think she, she would, wants to be a part of it. She's not against it. You know, and I think it's, I think it just goes on too far sometimes these things. You know, like, you know, like, you're like, you know,

Like, then it goes everywhere and it's on every, every, like with us a little bit, everyone's on every chat, because obviously it's what everyone's talking about and we've been talking about it. Yeah. But then you get people who didn't even know, doesn't even know what's going on, and then we'll go and comment about it. Something nasty. So, yeah, that's down to the control. Yeah, like you say, Liam lost his business Facebook page because someone hacked it and posted something that wasn't accepted.

And yet, for some reason, in this day and age with AI, we can't stop people commenting. Yeah, tell me. And I actually really like it. it when the celebrity screenshot the person, post it and say, does your daughter know the kind of comments that you're posted to people? We should show their people up because it is brilliant. It's out of order. I don't care what the person's done.

As long as they haven't hurt anybody, like physically hurt somebody else, they don't deserve those comments. And you can say, look, don't think that campaign was in very good taste. You can still make a comment without making that person feel bad. And actually, you're part of the problem because you're not teaching that. girl a lesson, you're actually affecting her mental health. And that's not fair. No, I agree. I agree. So what do you guys think? I think that as women, yeah, just be nice or keep your mouth fucking shut. Well, yeah, I think we can still, we can still criticize or having an opinion on things,

but I just think there's a way of doing it. Do you know what I mean? And let's not be over-sensitive. Like you say, I think that it was in poor taste. We could have done a better job of really showcasing women. in strength and abilities. But it's not the way the company did it. So, oh, well, move on. Yeah. Yeah, too right. Like, she hasn't taken the whole of the female population back decades.

Like, that is a massive over-exaggeration. And, yeah, you can argue that all these little things add up. But at the end of the day, have your peace. Don't make the girl bad for it. It's not a known woman to be against, you know, everything for women, and feminine, you know, everything like that. So, yeah, give her a break. She's, she's done what she's done.

She's obviously realized what she's done and going forward. I'm sure people will be more aware, you know, of that. Yeah. So, there you go. And if you have hate to spread, keep it to yourself. Yeah, exactly. What is it they used to say as kids?

And if you want to bet. You got nothing nice to say? Nothing to say nothing. Yeah, exactly. Great, well, drop your comments in. Let us know what you think, if you agree with us or if you have a different point of view. But do it in good.

taste yeah no hate and it don't be a deep express your opinion and yeah be kind always bye