Olympian Ilona Maher on How She’s Breaking Rugby Stereotypes

The bronze medalist is actively working to draw more attention to her sport.

Ilona Maher / Kristy Sparow/Getty Images

Fresh off of her Olympic bronze medal win alongside her U.S. women’s rugby sevens teammates, Ilona Maher is continuing to advocate for equity in sports. The 27-year-old athlete, who is known for rocking a bright red lip on the field and off, recently spoke with People about her efforts to move away from the cliché that rugby is a “masculine” sport.

“ ... Rugby has always been thought of as a very masculine sport, and [fans] stereotype the people who play it,” she told the outlet. “Myself and all the girls playing sevens and fifteens, I think, are really breaking that stereotype.”

Ilona Maher / Kristy Sparow/Getty Images

While the Olympics were in full swing in Paris, Maher was still taking time to use her social media platforms to remind her social media followers that “all body types matter” and BMI measurements are an outdated standard of health. The Vermont native is also outspoken about the fact that she can be both a strong, incredible athlete and rock a bold, red lip at the same time.

“We’re wearing makeup because we want to wear it and it makes us feel good, and I think we’re showing that it doesn’t take away from how we play on the field,” she told People. “My lipstick doesn’t take away from how hard I hit, from how I read the game, from how I run. It’s just something that we do to kind of say, ‘F you’ to those standards in what is thought of as a man’s sport.”