Ilona Maher reminds us that cellulite is familiar to almost all women.
Ilona Maher doesn’t care about cellulite. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
A rugby player Ilona Maher27, posted a video on TikTok in December in which she speaks out for body positivity.
As Maher speaks, a zoomed-in image of his leg is shown in the background. The shot was taken in the middle of the game.
– I am literally an Olympic athlete. I am a professional athlete. I run and lift weights all day long – and this is what my legs look like, Maher says in the video.
– I have cellulite all over. It’s perfectly normal, perfectly natural. It doesn’t take away from your athletic ability or how fast you are. It’s just something that’s part of your body. We all have it.
The video quickly became a viral hit, which has been viewed nearly four million times. You can see it from here.
Dermatologist Dendy Engleman finds out in an interview with Today.com that Maher’s point is close to right.
– In fact, 93 percent of women have it. Cellulite is genetic, so while weight can affect its appearance, even the thinnest women can have it.
The woman who has twice represented the USA at the Olympics has taken it upon herself to dispel negative perceptions related to the body.
– I don’t feel that I am doing this body positivity for myself but for other young girls. When I was in college, I would have loved to see someone like this. To praise his body and show what it is capable of, he said in an interview with NBC Sports last July.