People complain cellulite is ‘so gross’ but I’m a literal Olympian and I have it – it’s normal and I’m rocking it
Ilona Maher has hit back at online trolls who’ve made cruel comments about her body.
The professional athlete shared a snap of herself playing in a recent rugby tournament as she championed body positivity.
The rugby sevens player, 27, from Vermont, has been playing the sport since age 17 and made her international debut back in 2018.
She gained a legion of new fans when she represented Team USA at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and shared entertaining posts about life in the Olympic Village for athletes.
Ilona Maher (@ilonamaher) now boasts over 1.1 million followers on TikTok, where she shares funny moments in her life and travels around the world for games.
She took to the social media platform mocking trolls who think it’s embarrassing and “gross” to have cellulite.
She shared a snap of herself as she spoke candidly about the lumps and dimples that make the surface of her skin uneven.
“This is my leg from a past rugby tournament,” Ilona said. “I’m a literal Olympian and professional athlete.
“I run all day long, and I lift weights all day long, constantly. And that is what my legs look like.
“I have cellulite everywhere.
“It is completely normal, completely natural, and does not take away from your athletic ability or how fast, how fit you are.
“It’s just something that’s part of your body and we all have it.”
Ilona sighed heavily as she encouraged women to embrace their bodies regardless of any perceived flaws.
“Rockin my cellulite,” she captioned the post.
The video went viral with over 3.2 million views and 544,00 likes from people who were inspired by her message.
Thousands of people took to the comment section thanking Ilona for normalizing cellulite and confessing they’ve struggled to accept themselves.
One person wrote: “Cellulite on women is NORMAL. Doctors invented the term years ago to make women feel insecure. 90 percent of women have it.”
Another commented: “You have no idea how much hearing this means [heart]. It doesn’t take away from how beautiful you are. And YOU are stunning.”
A third chimed in: “I’m a size 0 and I also have cellulite. Only sharing this to let y’all know it also does not matter what you weigh or if you lose weight.”
Read more on The Sun
A fourth said: “Thank you for sharing! I’m so insecure about mine for years I didn’t go swimming because I was so ashamed. I’m doing better now but still struggle some.”
Another added: “I love this post so much! Self-love is everything, you’re amazing.”
