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Louise Thomas
Editor
Ilona Maher is making a statement, not as a bronze-medalist Olympic athlete but as a female rugby player.
The 27-year-old Paris 2024 Olympic competitor has been vocal on and off the field, speaking about her body positivity journey and the dating habits within the Olympic Village. Even before the start of this year’s summer games, Maher was warming up – on TikTok. Maher took to her account, posting encouraging messages to her female followers and motivating them to accept themselves against societal standards.
What’s more, the Olympic star has actively countered stereotypes about her sport, specifically the idea that rugby is a “male sport.” By wearing her signature red lipstick amid the sweaty battle for victory, Maher is countering gender beliefs about rugby players.
Speaking to People, the bronze winner admitted: “I think it’s important for me because rugby has always been thought of as a very masculine sport, and [fans] stereotype the people who play it.
“Myself and all the girls playing sevens and fifteens, I think, are really breaking that stereotype,” she continued.
In most pictures of Maher in uniform, the standout athlete dons a bold, bright lip color. Even after her bronze victory, the Olympic competitor was photographed with the lip tint.
Feeling her best physically means doing what she wants with her appearance, she explained. “We’re wearing makeup because we want to wear it and it makes us feel good, and I think we’re showing that it doesn’t take away from how we play on the field,” she added.
“My lipstick doesn’t take away from how hard I hit, from how I read the game, from how I run. It’s just something that we do to kind of say, ‘F you’ to those standards in what is thought of as a man’s sport.”
At the top of Maher’s Instagram page, next to her pinned posts about rugby, she highlighted a carousel of images of her back. The famed medalist has openly talked about her body insecurities, especially surrounding her back. While Maher struggled her whole life to accept her body and acknowledge its strength, she’s now in a place where she can celebrate it.
“Dear girl with the big shoulders,” her caption started. “You are not undesirable. You are not built like a linebacker. You are not manly. You are not unattractive.”
“You are beautiful. You are imposing. You are powerful. You are magnificent,” she continued. “Put your shoulders back, wear your head high, and walk into any room like you own the place.”
On July 30, Maher took home a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics with her sevens team, beating Australia 14 to 12.
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