Hyderabad, Sept. 18 -- Sex sells. Advertisers have known this for as long as there have been advertisers, and audiences have known it too. So when Sydney Sweeney appeared nude in a campaign for Novig, an American sports prediction app, covered only by footballs, basketballs and hockey gear, the only genuinely surprising thing was how surprised everyone pretended to be.

Within days, the ad had become a referendum on women's sport, female empowerment and the "male gaze." Olympians lined up to condemn it. Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus called it "a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft." Academics described it as dated and objectifying. Critics declared that Sweeney had set women back.

It is ...