Louisiana State University gymnast and college junior Olivia Dunne is the top-paid woman collegiate athlete in the country — and now, she’s one of the first college athletes appear in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue. The only other one will also debut in this year’s issue.
You’ve probably seen Dunne’s content splash across your TikTok or Instagram feed, where she is known as “Livvy” and shares a look at everything from her LSU practices and competitions to her workouts and outfits with her combined 11 million followers.
As much as Dunne is capitalizing on her social media fame for success’s sake — the NCAA’s current name, image, and likeness policy went into effect in July 2021; before that, college athletes were not allowed to make money off brand deals or sponsorships — she’s also hell-bent on making a bigger impact. “Women’s sports is something that I want to support and leave my legacy on,” Dunne told People in an interview about her SI appearance. “I want to show other athletes that you can have it all — especially women.”
“Girls aren’t responsible for the bad behavior of boys. A lot of gymnasts are taught to keep quiet, and that led to a lot of abuse in the sport. I want to be part of the new generation that tells girls to use their voice.”
Dunne has come under fire for “‘leveraging’ her sexuality for endorsement dollars,” per SI Swimsuit Editor in Chief MJ Day, but both she and Dunne are quick to correct that line of thinking. “We are here to celebrate this incredible young woman and encourage the world to respect and applaud Livvy and her fellow athletes for owning the blood, sweat and tears that have fueled a lifetime of achievements,” Day said in the SI announcement. Dunne added to that, telling People: “I can be an athlete, I can be strong, I can be beautiful, I can be confident and sexy — and sometimes people don’t really realize that.”
When the LSU gymnastics season opener in January brought packs of unruly men fans harassing other…
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