Hailey Van Lith Opens Up on Social Media Pressure to Look a Certain Way: ‘It’s Hard When You’re That Young’

The SI Swimsuit Digital Cover model shared how her perspective on social media has shifted throughout her standout career.

Hailey Van Lith was photographed by Taylor Ballantyne in Fort Worth, Texas. Swimsuit by WeWoreWhat. / Taylor Ballantyne/Sports Illustrated

At just 23-years-old, collegiate and international basketball player Hailey Van Lith has spent the entirety of her adulthood in the spotlight. 

Once one of the top high school prospects in the country, the Washington native had all eyes on her for her incredibly high floor, earning opportunities to join USA basketball and develop a mentorship with NBA legend, Kobe Bryant. 

With basketball fans in awe of how her evolving game, Van Lith garnered a rapidly growing fan base before she even turned 18, and now has an over 1.3 million follower base on Instagram alone. 

As she prepares for the next chapter in her standout career, Van Lith reflected on how her rapidly-growing social media presence has affected her mindset, and how she’s taken the time to grow with it. 

Hailey Van Lith was photographed by Taylor Ballantyne in Fort Worth, Texas. Swimsuit by Saint Laurent. Bracelets by Saint Laurent. / Taylor Ballantyne/Sports Illustrated

“Growing up in the frame of social media and the pressures that those bring, I 100% felt pressure,” Van Lith shared during her SI Swimsuit debut. “When I was 15, 16, and I first started blowing up, my thighs were too big, my hair was too short. I had too much acne.

“All the comments that just flood those pictures—it’s hard when you're that young. You’re not mature enough to form your own perspective without the opinions of other people.”

As her game reached new heights, Van Lith committed to playing collegiate ball at Louisville in 2019, transferred to Louisiana State University and rounded out her career at Texas Christian University. She led her TCU squad to the university’s first ever Elite Eight appearance.

Still in the public eye throughout her collegiate tenure, she shared the adjustments she’s made to foster a healthy relationship with social media. 

Hailey Van Lith was photographed by Taylor Ballantyne in Fort Worth, Texas. Swimsuit by Vitamin A Swim. / Taylor Ballantyne/Sports Illustrated

“I have a great team of people that help me tag team it, so I’m not the only one running my social media, but also I invest in a sports psychologist who has really changed my life and helped me look within myself for answers and not be so attached to the external world,” Van Lith shared in a TikTok interview with JLab. 

She also noted in a separate interview with the audio company that, while the outside noise is loud, she focuses on strengthening her own self love to tune it out. 

“At the end of the day, whatever you believe about yourself is true,” Van Lith said. “Nobody else exists unless you allow them to exist, so I just focus on what I like about myself and I choose to believe that.”