"OK to exist in a bigger body"- Ilona Maher issues a strong message as she continues her to raise her voice for body positivity

Olympic medalist Ilona Maher is well known for her strong social presence. She is quite popular for her campaign in favor of body positivity, and the 28-year-old American rugby player has reiterated her stance on the same.

In a video message shared by the official page of Today Show, Maher talked about the issue of body positivity. She began by saying,

"I feel like everytime I open up social media nowadays, I'm hit with an ad for weight loss supplement, or I see that a thin celebrity is even thinner. Or recently I've been getting before and afters, where the before is a gorgeous, gorgeous girl, and the after is also a gorgeous girl, almost making it seem that the before wasn't worthy."

However, the Olympic bronze medalist did not just stop at that. She further added,

"Here I am with another gentle but firm reminder that it is okay to exist in a bigger body. A lot of us are not meant to be small. I'm not meant to be small."

Ilona Maher is currently preparing for the semifinals of the Premiership Women's Rugby League tonight, where her team Bristol Bears Women will be competing against the Gloucester-Hartpury.

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Ilona Maher reflects over the 'vulnerability' of sharing content on social media

Ilona Maher on the 'vulnerability' of sharing content over social media [Image Source : Getty]

Previously, Ilona Maher opened up about her experience of sharing content over social media. In a conversation with the podcast channel Fansided, when asked about how and when she decided to show her funnier side on social media, Maher replied,

"I know people think I'm actually funny, but I will say like my sisters are much funnier than I am and I think that's what helped me with my career. I think the difference between me and my sisters is that I'm more willing to put myself out there and to post videos, and it was kind of a big jump to take, it's a very vulnerable thing to do." [1:50 onwards]

Maher further added in her comment,

"I think that I've always tried to be the funniest on my team or always tried, I love cracking jokes and people laughing at me or with me you know I love that."

Ilona Maher has a strong presence on the social media. She has more than 75000 followers on X [previously Twitter], and commands a sizeable base of more than 4.9 million followers over Instagram, making her one of the most followed rugby players online.