Olivia Dunne Opens Up About Ongoing Journey of Feeling Comfortable in Her Own Skin

The LSU gymnast will grace the pages of the 2024 SI Swimsuit Issue and hopes to inspire along the way.

Olivia Dunne was photographed by Ben Watts in Porto and North of Portugal.Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

The 2024 SI Swimsuit Issue will, as always, bring new faces into the franchise. But the brand’s 60th anniversary edition next spring will also include some recognizable names, too. Among them: LSU gymnast and social media personality Olivia Dunne, who recently traveled to Porto and North of Portugal, with photographer Ben Watts for her rookie photo shoot.   

The Division I athlete was thrilled for the opportunity to return to the annual issue for her second year. Her excitement, in part, was due to the immensity of the moment and the feeling that she was, yet again, fulfilling a dream.

“Last year I said it was a dream come true, and nothing’s changed,” she explained while on set in the European city. “It’s still a dream come true.” 

But her enthusiasm on set was due to something much deeper. For Dunne, appearing in the SI Swimsuit Issue doesn’t just mean being part of a family—one that she is very grateful for—it means having the opportunity to inspire others, too.

Her journey to self-confidence and positive body image

Dunne wants those who look at the magazine to take away something a bit deeper from her feature. As a gymnast, she understands the struggles that many girls (particularly those in her own sport) face when it comes to body image. More than that, “it’s something that I’m still working on to this day—being confident,” Dunne admits.

Though it’s an ongoing journey, she has certainly made strides over the years where body image and confidence are concerned. Yet, the 21-year-old attributes some of her growth to her experience with the brand. “SI’s really helped me see that it’s O.K. to not be perfect and to just be comfortable in your own skin,” she says. “It’s O.K. to not be perfect.”

Dunne’s focus is not merely on her own journey to self-confidence and positive body image. Understanding that it’s a problem that plagues so many and that she has such a unique opportunity as a public-facing figure, Dunne hopes to inspire other young girls to find their own confidence.

Read more about Olivia Dunne’s 2024 SI Swimsuit photo shoot here.