'Our hard earned body is not your kink': Indian women in sports and fitness react to Sydney Sweeney's ad

Everyone has seen the infamous Sydney Sweeney advertisement for a sports betting app The visual of a mostly nude Sweeney straddled atop a basketball hoop spinning a basketball is unwillingly seared into our brain mdash guess theyrsquove succeeded there But is that the takeaway ReallyFollowing widespread backlash over the ad Sweeney then tried to steer the conversation in another direction posting Instagram stories with pictures of sportswomen who have graced the covers of sports magazines in the nude such as ESPNrsquos annual Body Issue which has featured athletes such as tennis legend Serena Williams Her posts drew immediate criticism for drawing a false equivalence between her ad and photographs celebrating athletesrsquo bodies and what they have achievedSydney SweeneyTalk to any woman who is fit be it a gymmer or a professional sportsperson they say they are tired of their bodies either being fetishised or criticised for being too bulky and not looking ldquoconventionally femininerdquoJust last month 21yearold Indian powerlifter Keyaa Banerji amazed the nation after a 140 kg deadlift at the 2026 IPF World SubJunior and Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships in South AfricaShortly after her feat inappropriate AIgenerated deepfakes of her were being circulated onlineWhile we are still empathetic towards Sweeneyrsquos statement that her body has always been hypersexualised no woman is buying Sweeneyrsquos counterargument of ldquoowning the gazerdquoWhatrsquos baffling is how the star has doubled down on ldquodouble standardsrdquo regarding nudity despite several women athletes speaking out about their decadeslong battle to desexualise womenrsquos sportsLetrsquos give it to the women who have fought their way into the training ground or the gym or the pool and continue to take every punch mdash and every stray comment about their body mdash on their chinlsquoWomen in sports have to work twice as hard as menrsquoJuveria Iqbal has worked hard to make her way into Mumbairsquos amateur boxing rings while dealing with injuries and mental healthAt 22 Juveria Iqbal is a formidable advocate for women in sports and fitness We ask her what she thinks of Sweeneyrsquos claims that it is the male gaze that has hypersexualised her body she disagrees ldquoI have heard this argument and people have gone one step further and compared what is happening to her to Marilyn Monroe That is absolutely preposterous we all know what Marilyn went through Marilyn as we know had no control over how she was shot even the famous shot of her dress blowing in the wind is now suspected to be a result of her being coercedrdquo says JuveriaSweeney on the other hand ldquochose what she wanted You can make your decisions but you will be held accountable for them She canrsquot now cry and escape this responsibility pleaserdquo adds the Grant Roadbased boxer vehemently Juveria points to what happened to powerlifter Keyaa Banerji after her silver triumph at the IPF World SubJunior and Junior Classic Powerlifting ChampionshipsldquoShe is 21 and people started generating her morphed pictures Why was that Because she looks goodrdquo the boxer asks incredulously The gold medalist at the same competition mdash Madhura Kar also Indian mdash was hardly spoken about on the other hand ldquoFor people women only matter for looksrdquo says Juveria ldquoAnd when we try to defeat that when we try to get stronger get more defined muscles then women become too masculine for yourdquoLike so many others Juveria has had personal experience with sexualisation of women when it comes to physical activity Talking about how she had to ldquotamerdquo her body back in school when she was learning karate she tells us she would wear two bras then a slip and then bandage her chest ldquoso that I could have complete free movementrdquoChildhood experience had taught her this was necessary ldquoBack in school whenever we engaged in any sports teachers would come and say lsquoStop jumping your breasts are bouncing and itrsquos looking very badrsquo Today I have worked twice as hard as any man to make it to the boxing ring These kinds of advertisements completely negate our hard work and struggle to get thererdquo she saysFor Juveria that struggle has included overcoming a series of injuries from a scapula injury and debilitating sciatica pain ldquoNow I train when I feel well enough but if the sciatica flares up I am back on rest Which is also why having a healthy environment for you to recover be it your people or your coach or boxing club is vitalrdquo she says Her frankness is admirable in a world where physical challenges are not commonly discussed in the sports especially among women athletes because of the perception of being at a disadvantageGiving up boxing is not a choice for her she says ldquoI grew up a sick kid Nothing major just bad immunity For me sports was how I took control of my bodyrdquo she says ldquoI am trying to get back to my sport It is something I cannot live withoutrdquo she finally addslsquoSweeneyrsquos ad undermines the progress wersquove madersquoAshita Ranka sees the sexualisation of womenrsquos bodies regularly at her local tennis courtAshita Ranka a 30yearold publicist cannot even play tennis at her local court in Goregaon without coming face to face with the fetishisation of skirts ldquoI have experienced this from coplayers and even some coaches A married woman I knew couldnrsquot wear tennis clothes and always played in long track pants because her husband insisted on it I do wear skirts but never very short ones because I will get too many stares on the court I have a lsquopeoplersquos grandslamlikersquo tennis suit that I wear for tournamentsrdquo she addsBut the fight for freedom to wear what women want on the field or on the tennis court is not the same as Sweeneyrsquos argument for the nude ad ldquoSome of the shots in the Sweeney ad are very vulgar and my take is that these kinds of ads should be moderated and regulatedrdquo says RankaThe right apparel for sports is vital she feels ldquoI think we as a country need to get over our idea of what costume should be worn at the court or the pool or any sport or fitness The gear needs to be comfortable and breathable and allow sportswomen to move freely But this ad just undermines the progress that we have tried to make over the yearsrdquo she addsSports is about more than the bodyAashna Sachdeva is a nutritionist whose fitness journey started with a health crisisWhen Aashna Sachdeva 27 saw the Sweeney advertisement she didnrsquot let it bother her too much ldquoHonestly I personally wasnrsquot enraged because I have the capacity to compartmentalise how advertising uses provocation What easier tool than a womanrsquos body to make people watch the whole thing So every type of person watched it even people who didnrsquot like it still watched itrdquo she says pragmaticallySachdeva who has trained in yoga capoeira started weightlifting and is now boxing is a prime example of how sports and fitness is about more than the bodyWhen she was 19 Sachdeva was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis an autoimmune disease that strikes neuromuscular coordination ldquoHandeye coordination gets hit and the communication between your nerves and muscles is wonky Fatigue sets in more easily so endurance or cardiovascular sports are harder and even coordination between arms and legs is not ideal to say the leastrdquo she addsIn the seven years she turned to fitness and sports to regain control but itrsquos been hard ldquoThere are days when I have had reason to believe that maybe I am doing more damage by pushing myself so much Many days and months I have felt it might be better if I stopped exercising completelyrdquo she admits ldquoIf your autoimmune condition is very strong and is attacking your body but you try to combat this by training your neural pathways in a new way then your body and your condition will have a standoff one dayrdquoWhen she hits a low Sachdeva has learnt to slow down But never quits ldquoI rest and then some part of me gets back up and says lsquookay letrsquos give it another chancersquordquoldquoSo itrsquos not that itrsquos not that my autoimmune condition doesnrsquot exist but I have developed something more powerful mdash my strengthrdquo she says ldquoIt has also led me to my profession and helping people like merdquo she addslsquoDating is nightmare if you are a gym girlrsquoHyrox athlete Nayanika Chatterjee answers Sweeneyrsquos ad with a Reel showing all the different sports she excels atNayanika Chatterjee a 30yearold artist goes into beast mode when she competes in Hyrox events like Saturdayrsquos female doubles pro race at NESCO Goregaon This same spirit is evident by the fact that is one of the few Hyrox athletes in India to put out a reel on her Instagram nayanikac in answer to Sweeneyrsquos adNayanika Chatterjee says she hates the term lsquomuscle mommyrsquoThe video starts with Chatterjee recreating Sweeneyrsquos voiceover ldquoDo you know sports Prove itrdquo and then goes on to show exactly how well she knows sports by swimming rockclimbing and all the things that a Hyrox athlete doesWhen we ask her what motivated her to post it she says ldquoThis woman probably doesnrsquot know anything about any of these sports She is no sports woman and to sexualise sports is just not okay Why couldnrsquot the brand just get a proper athlete for the adrdquoChatterjee is proud of her muscles she has earned them with sweat and grit They are symbols of her passion for sport and not something she did for the male gaze And yet she faces fetishisation with terms like ldquomuscle mommyrdquo ldquoI absolutely hate that phrase The lsquomuscle mommyrsquo fetish is crazy on dating apps I have so many screenshots of men fetishising my body and saying things like lsquoChoke me between your thighs mommyrsquo Or guys who are totally intimidated saying lsquoAre you sure yoursquore a woman brorsquordquo she saysNot one to back away from confrontation Chatterjee often swipes right just so she can ask the men ldquoWhatrsquos wrong with yourdquo Their answers confound her ldquoThe guy usually says lsquoSorry marsquoam I just wanted to work out with yoursquordquo she addsScreenshots that Chatterjee says she is sent on dating apps and is tired ofChatterjee says ads like Sweeneyrsquos furthers this narrative of objectifying womenrsquos bodies in sports ldquoI like my traps I worked hard on them Yes my blouses tear because the tailors donrsquot understand just how much muscle I have built But thatrsquos the thing I have built it I have worked hard and earned this Our hard earned body is not your kinkrdquolsquoHealth not your appearance should be at the centre of sportsrsquoRugby player and Hyrox coach Prince Khatri sees more women break societal restrictions on their bodies and embrace fitness for their own healthPrince Khatri a rugby player has won the crossfit title of ldquoFittest in Indiardquo and is also a strength and conditioning educator coaching women like Nayanika Chatterjee for Hyrox and crossfit More women are training than ever before he says but ldquothere is still hesitation on lsquobulking uprsquordquo ldquoI do not dismiss this concern because it comes from a very real placerdquo he adds referring to social misconceptions of muscular figures being more ldquomasculinerdquoPrince KhatriBut more and more women are now overcoming this fear and recognising the need for fitness not just to lose weight or look good but as a health goal ldquoGaining strength means your body can take sudden impact if you are on the road or moving around It means being able to carry your child for a kilometre without breaking a sweat I now see women improving their health not just as a fitness goal but a life goal and that should be at the centrerdquo he adds