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Olympic Rugby medalist Ilona Maher's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover has Sapphics going FERAL
We are staring RESPECTFULLY of course, but oh boy are we staring.
It's hard being the total package — and arguably no one has it harder than Ilona Maher. She's thoughtful, funny, beautiful, strong, an advocate for women's rights and women in sports, an Olympic medalist, and now a swimsuit model. She embodies her life motto, #beastbeautybrains, every day and has become the ultimate online Sapphic object of desire!
But can you blame them? Maher, an Olympic rugby player, just led Team USA to its first bronze Olympic medal at the Paris Olympics. This was the first-ever medal in rugby sevens for the US. She's a social media sensation, with 3.8M followers on Instagram and 2.3M on TikTok. While Maher has always been an advocate for women's rights, her performance at the Paris Olympics has given her an even wider platform to speak out against the ludicrous standards placed on women's bodies and the importance of women and girls in sports. She's continuing that work on the cover of the iconic Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.
"Beast. Beauty. Brains." is displayed across the SI Swimsuit digital cover. Maher looks great, and seems to be having a blast throughout the shoot, but to her it's about more than just looking good. It's about having a deep connection with yourself and your body. She told SI Swimsuit in the cover interview, "I love that [rugby] showed me what I can do,” Maher says. “It showed me how capable my body is and it’s not just like a tool to be looked at and objectified."
It's not all just fun and games, however. Maher of course uses this opportunity to talk about her experience as a pro athlete and change things not just for her, but all women competing in sports. She spoke out about pay inequalities, saying, “[Men] get to play rugby and they get paid millions of dollars while we make minimum wage and this won't be a career for us. I have teammates going into the workforce now, whereas these guys are down there and rugby's it [for them].”
In July, Maher went viral on TikTok for a takedown of a commenter who tried to leverage Maher's projected BMI against her, as if she's not a professional athlete and as if BMI isn't total bull. Maher still takes the time to decimate the commenter, saying, "I do have a BMI of 30. Well, 29. 3 to be more exact. I am considered overweight. But alas, I'm going to the Olympics, and you're not."
Maher fights so hard not just because she loves women, or now deeply and truly loves herself, but she loves rugby. She is a true athlete, dedicated to her craft. Interviewer Liz Plank notes that you can feel it radiating like an aura. Plank writes of Maher's dedication, "Her love for her sport is palpable because in rugby she didn't just find a career -- she found herself."
In a world where women are so often forced to compartmentalize themselves, Maher proves that she is one whole complete being, and that the Olympic bronze medalist athlete, the red lipstick loving 28-year-old in a sleek bikini, and the intelligent, outspoken feminist are all one and the same. You can't have one without the others, and you can't separate them. You need all: beast, beauty, and brains.
So is it any surprise that these photos have the sapphic online going feral? Keep scrolling for some of our favorite — and most relatable reactions — to Ilona being a G.O.D.D.E.S.S!
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
