When Team USA took home bronze in the Women’s Rugby Sevens Event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, all eyes were suddenly on their fearless center Ilona Maher. Winning America’s first-ever medal in women’s rugby was a feat in itself, but Maher’s success also derived from her significant internet presence. Whether it’s making parodies of Love Island’s Villa or giving an inside look at the behind-the-scenes of the Olympic Games, Maher’s camera always captures the best content. Ilona has also used her newly gained popularity to spread body positivity and became a modern voice of feminism for women across the globe.
The 27-year-old Vermont native played rugby at Quinnipiac University for three years before she was awarded the MA Sorensen Award for National Player of the Year in 2017. Maher made her Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games but only placed 6th. She then went on to her second Games to win America its first female rugby title this past July.
As of recent statistics, Ilona Maher is the most followed rugby player on social media amassing over 3.7 million followers on her Instagram page. Maher doesn’t let the spotlight blind her, she uses her platform to urge fans to keep watching women’s sports and to discard strict stereotypes of what a woman should look like. The rugby star has become the face of body positivity for women everywhere and wants even her funny content to convey an underlying message of self-love. When asked about her social media ambitions, Maher told AP News, “It’s just like I always preach, and it is really important for me to constantly preach because the message never stops and young girls have to be like, ‘Oh, man, OK, I feel great about my body.’”
Recently, Ilona Maher has been facing criticism relating to her own body in the media. A commenter deemed Maher “overweight” because of her body mass index (BMI) of 29.3. America’s sweetheart was quick to clap back and share the two measurements included in the calculation of one’s BMI, her height and weight, and commented on how outdated the formula is to dictate health. The University of Rochester Medical Center agrees with Maher on the notion that BMI is an archaic tool used in categorizing weight classes. Doctor Holly Russell of UR Medicine says, “Despite assumptions we’ve come to accept as facts, the evidence linking weight and health is inconsistent, and using a weight-based tool like BMI to draw conclusions about a person’s health adds to the confusion.” Ilona Maher shines a positive light on cellulite on her body. She argues that everyone has it and it’s a natural part of anatomy and if an Olympic athlete who trains every day still has visible cellulite then it shouldn’t be such a negative feature.
Sporting her iconic red lipstick both on and off the pitch, Ilona Maher has become a household name with her warm and informative network. She is unraveling the idea that rugby players have to be rough and masculine and instead encourages more young girls to pursue the sport. Ilona Maher is tired of society putting women in a box, so she is taking an Olympic-sized charge at any sexist ideologies with her vulnerability, humor, and determination to make body positivity a universal message. After all, who can disagree with a winner?
Check out Ilona Maher through her socials:
Instagram: @ilonamaher
TikTok: @ilonamaher