"Hard dealing with body image"- When Olivia Dunne opened up about her struggles amid massive popularity on social media

Olivia Dunne once opened up about dealing with body image issues as a gymnast, especially when she was going through puberty. The gymnast also noted how people often judge athletes associated with artistic sports.

Dunne, a senior on the LSU women's gymnastics team, began her gymnastics journey at the tender age of three, captivated by a dazzling pink sparkly leotard. At fourteen, she commenced training under the guidance of Coach Craig Zappa at ENA Gymnastics, and soon after, made her elite debut at the 2014 American Classic. Having qualified for the 2017 City of Jesolo Trophy, Dunne earned her first selection to the US National team.

The 22-year-old competed in the senior elite events in 2018 but sat out of the mat the following year, citing injuries. She then signed the Letter of Intent with LSU to join their roster in the 2020-21 season. After entering her senior year at Louisiana State University in 2024, the gymnast talked about the dark side of gymnastics.

She opened up about her struggles with body image issues and the brutality of her sport which demands a conventional body shape and often subjects the gymnasts to criticism.

"You need to have thick skin to do gymnastics or any artistic sport. Anorexia and body image issues are the most common problems in artistic sports. Growing up in elite gymnastics, it was very hard dealing with body image. In gymnastics, everyone is judging you," she shared. (via Marca, October 2024)

Dunne was part of the women's gymnastics team that lifted the NCAA Championships trophy in 2024, the first National title for LSU in the program's history.

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Olivia Dunne once faced indecent behavior from a group of boys during LSU's gymnastics meet

Olivia Dunne in between the competition between LSU and Florida at the NCAA Championships - (Source: Getty)

Earlier in 2023, during LSU's season-opening meet in Salt Lake City, Utah, a disconcerting incident occurred. A group of boys repeatedly called Olivia Dunne inappropriately, even though she was sidelined due to an injury. This troubling behavior prompted Coach Jay Clark to enhance security measures for subsequent gymnastics meets.

In a 2023 interview, she addressed the harrowing incident and noted that women can never be responsible for how men look at them.

"It’s not a girl’s responsibility how a man looks at her or how he acts, especially when you’re doing your sport and that’s your uniform. I can’t help the way I look, and I’m going to post what I feel comfortable with. It’s hard to handle at times, definitely, because I am just a 20-year-old student. I think people do forget that," she said while speaking to Elle magazine in 2023.

Besides her collegiate gymnastics career, Olivia Dunne has become a prominent social media figure, capitalizing on the NIL rule changes to secure numerous lucrative brand deals.