Team USA Rugby star, Olympic bronze medallist, TikTok star and the most followed Rugby player on Instagram, Ilona Maher can now add cover model to her resume after appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit‘s September issue.
Looking like a sun-kissed goddess, the 28-year-old athlete posed in a series of bikinis with her Olympic medal. Not only does she look stunning but she looks incredibly strong, powerful and athletic. Although it’s not the first time that an athlete has appeared on the cover, it’s not every day a larger female body is featured on the cover of a magazine at all — even if it is one capable of the pinnacle of athletic achievement. Hell, even MJ Day, the editor-in-chief of the publication said it was a “powerful statement”.
In the interview which accompanied the gorgeous shoot, Ilona weighed in on the constant critiques she’s received about her body ever since she was old enough to hear them.
“I was always like, you know, called masculine or whatever but I never felt that way,” she said.
“But I don’t think you’re going to bully the girl who could probably beat you up in a rage. I love that [rugby] showed me what I can do. It showed me how capable my body is and it’s not just like a tool to be looked at and objectified.”
One of my favourite things about Ilhona is the way she’s upfront about her body. For her, it’s not only something beautiful but a tool for her to absolutely smash the competition on the field.
“If my cellulite was lower in that perfect range, I wouldn’t be doing what I could do. I wouldn’t be that powerful for it [so] I just really think sports have been so helpful,” she said.
In an age where our bodies are so often pigeon-holed for what they look like, it’s a refreshing and accurate take.
Despite the criticisms, Ilhona has made a name for herself for her self-assured and body-positive messages. Plus, she’s never been afraid to subvert the assumptions made about her, opting to lean into her femininity by wearing lipstick on the field.
“Everyone is always saying how masculine rugby is and that you have to be a certain way to play and I didn’t like that,” she told The Cut.
“So I was like, why can’t I just wear lipstick on the field too, and feel pretty on the field? It’s not like it’s gonna stop me from tackling hard. And it’s been a cool brand for me now.”
With such a huge platform — 2.3 million followers on TikTok and 3.8 million on Instagram — Ilona is trying to use her exposure for good by speaking out against the gender pay gap in sports.
“[Men] get to play rugby and they get paid millions of dollars while we make minimum wage and this won’t be a career for us. I have teammates going into the workforce now, whereas these guys are down there and rugby’s it [for them],” she said.
Admittedly, we have a long way to go when it comes to showcasing a diverse range of bodies on the cover of magazines. However, I can’t help but feel a little bit stoked that someone with a similar body type to me is on the cover of a magazine.
The post Olympic Champ & TikTok Star Ilona Maher’s New Cover Is A FU To Anyone Talking About Her Body appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
