Actress Sydney Sweeney recently shared glimpses of a sun-soaked vacation to Lake Powell, Utah, alongside her boyfriend, businessman Scooter Braun. the trip featured romantic snapshots and a striking red swimsuit that many fans compared to Pamela Anderson’s iconic Baywatch look.
A Pamela Anderson moment at Lake Powell
During her getaway in Utah, Sweeney appeared in several social media posts that leaned into a classic Hollywood bombshell aesthetic. As reported by the source, the actress wore a red swimsuit featuring a scoop neckline and high-cut hips while posing in front of a clear blue lake. The imagery prompted immediate comparisons from her followers, with one fan noting the resemblance to Pamela Anderson from Baywatch.
The vacation was not just about fashion; it was a group trip involvng hiking, wakeboarding, and waterskiing. Sweeney also shared intimate moments with Braun, whom the report claims she met at the 2025 wedding of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez. The couple was seen sharing affectionate moments, including photos of Sweeney sitting on Braun's shoulders at a club venue.
From MMA training to the Novig controversy
Despite her current status as a global fashion icon, Sweeney has a deep-seated history with competitive sports. She has previously shared that she grew up playing soccer and softball, and even participated in a snow ski team. Most notably, she revealed that she learned to slalom ski at a young age and practiced MMA, expressing a profound appreciation for fighters.
This athletic background has created a strange friction with her recent commercial work. The actress recently sparked significant controversy through a new ad campaign for the sports betting app Novig. In the campaign, Sweeney appeared in her "birthday suit," using only sports equipment to cover herself. This move drew sharp criticism from female athletes, who argued that the imagery was reductive and unfairly sexualized women within the sporting world.
How the Novig ad campaign drove a $1.5 billion valuation jump
While the creative direction of the Novig campaign faced social backlash, the financial results were staggering. According to the reprt, Novig saw its valuation soar to $2 billion following the campaign, a massive increase from its previous $500 million mark. This suggests that while the content may be polarizing, its ability to capture attention is highly effective from a business standpoint.
Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky defended the campaign during a recent panel, emphasizing that Sweeney was a primary driver of the creative process. Fortinsky noted that while the visuals were bold, the company remains supportive of women's sports. He also clarified that the intent was not to portray female sports specifically, but rather to leverage Sweeney's status as "the biggest movie star in the world."
Can Sweeney bridge her MMA history and her Novig visuals?
The tension between Sweeney's genuine athletic roots and her recent hyper-sexualized branding leaves several questions unanswered. The source does not clarify how the actress personally feels about the backlash from the female athletic community, nor does it confirm if the "reductive" tone of the Novig ad was a choice she championed or a corporate mandate. It remains to be seen if she can maintain her credibility as a sports enthusiast while simultaneously serving as the face of campaigns that critics say undermine the very athletes she admires.
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