Gymnast Olivia Dunne turned to Paige Spiranac in navigating downside of fame

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Gymnast-turned-influencer Olivia Dunne has turned to golf glamour puss Paige Spiranac on how to navigate the often rough and tumble world of fame.

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The 20-year-old Louisiana State University athlete has shot to superstardom over the past two years with her provocative snapshots posted to her Instagram and TikTok accounts.

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On Thursday, Dunne achieved one of her lifelong goals by being named a model for the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. In an accompanying story, Dunne credited Spiranac, 30, as a mentor.

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“People always comment stuff that they would never say to your face, so part of it is just having developed tough skin,” Dunne told the magazine. “Social media is hard. That’s something that Paige Spiranac helped me with, just keeping certain parts of your life private.

She added: “Making sure not to post things that, you know, maybe you don’t want people’s feedback on.”

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One of Dunne’s biggest critics has been Stanford University basketball coach Tara VanDerveer, who has sneered at female athletes using racy images to profit. Dunne was the highest-earning student-athlete of 2022.

In The New York Times last November, VanDerveer frowned on the “N.I.L. (name, image and likeness) revolution that focuses on beauty as regressive for female athletes.”

“I guess sometimes we have this swinging pendulum, where we maybe take two steps forward, and then we take a step back,” VanDerveer said.

“We’re fighting for all the opportunities to compete, to play, to have resources, to have facilities, to have coaches, and all the things that go with Olympic-caliber athletics.”

Dunne is having none of it.

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“I think it’s important to stand up for yourself,” she told SI.

“Maybe it’s the Jersey girl in me, but I think girls needed to know it wasn’t OK, especially posting things that any other college kid would post in — a leotard —which is the required uniform for being a gymnast. It’s ridiculous.”

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Dunne has a staggering 11 million online followers which reportedly brings her in a whopping $3.5 million in income. She now has her sights fixated on the Sports Illustrated gig.

“Being a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model is a dream come true,” she said in a video posted by SI. “There are a lot of young girls that look up to me and I feel like a lot of young girls also follow Sports Illustrated.

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“So, both of our brands align because we both want to inspire the younger generation.”

She added: “As a woman, no one really expected a gymnast to be at the forefront of that. Most people expected football, baseball, basketball.

“To be a woman at the forefront, and trying to make the playing field more level, is definitely a step in the right direction.”

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