Ilona Maher Has the Perfect Response to People ‘Debating’ Online About Her Body

Fans are applauding the Olympian and SI Swimsuit model for her recent Instagram post—and for a good reason.

Ilona Maher was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Ilona Maher took some online trolls to task this week, and fans are applauding her ongoing courage and authenticity.

The decorated Olympian, Dancing With the Stars runner-up and two-time SI Swimsuit model took to her Instagram account on Thursday afternoon to share a video, wherein she discussed a very strange phenomenon she recently noticed: strangers online “debating” about whether or not her “body type” could be considered “overweight.”

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A post shared by Ilona Maher (@ilonamaher)

“I think one of the bravest things we can do is learn to love ourselves, learn to appreciate ourselves and learn to find the beauty in our bodies,” the Olympian began, diving right into the post. First, she marveled at the amount of engagement the tweet had, noting that—at the time of her video—it accumulated 20 million views

“20 million people are looking at my body and debating over it,” she continued while pointing at the tweet behind her, which featured a photo of her walking the SI Swimsuit runway during Swim Week last month. “Ladies, it doesn’t matter what you do: you will be judged. You will be told you’re too thin, you’re too thick, you’re too much, you’re too this, you’re too that. In terms of being overweight—yeah, sure. I happen to be thick. I happen to be juicy. I happen to find a lot of joy in food. I happen to not have a body that’s meant to be a size two.”

She then went on to note that some of those defending her on the post waved the crueler comments off by explaining to others that she’s an Olympian, to which she added, “It doesn’t matter if you’re an Olympian or not, my body type is beautiful. Yes, it’s bigger than what’s considered beautiful in society, but there is beauty in it. This is not to say I’m not insecure—I’m insecure a lot [...] But this is the body I was given, and it’s done amazing things for me.”

Ilona Maher / Ivan Apfel/Getty Images

And the powerful message clearly resonated with many of the athlete’s followers and famous friends, who took to her comment section on Instagram to applaud her:

“🙌 I hope this gets 20 million views x10,” fellow SI Swimsuit model Camille Kostek wrote.

“At 5 feet 10 inches and a lot of muscle, this is a body that’s built like an Amazon through hard work. 🔥🔥🔥 ❤️,” health coach Massy Arias added.

“Thank GOD my teenage daughters have a role model like you! I would have saved years of therapy if I had a voice like you when I was their age,” a follower declared. “Thank you with all my heart! 💜”

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A post shared by Ilona Maher (@ilonamaher)

But this isn’t the first time Maher clapped back at strangers commenting on her body online. Back in July of 2024, she went viral on Instagram and TikTok for a video she posted discussing her BMI after someone left a disparaging comment guessing her body fat percentage.

In short, the athlete has a long and proud history of dealing with rude users with her unique blend of grace and humor, while also uplifting her fans and followers. To quote her caption from the aforementioned video, “As long as people keep commenting dumb stuff, I will continue to clap back and stand up for myself. And also my fans love it.”

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