IIlona Maher Says a Recent 'Interaction' Made Her Self-Conscious About Her Shoulders: 'I Worried They Were Too Big'
IIlona Maher Says a Recent 'Interaction' Made Her Self-Conscious About Her Shoulders: 'I Worried They Were Too Big'
Cara Lynn ShultzMon, March 23, 2026 at 5:23 PM UTC
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Ilona Maher at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in May 2025Credit: John Parra/Getty -
Ilona Maher shared her struggles with body image after feeling self-conscious about her shoulder size
The Olympic rugby star posted on Instagram that "it’s normal to have some negative thoughts at times"
Maher has previously spoken out against societal pressures to conform to smaller body standards
Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher shared she sometimes struggles with "negative thoughts," revealing she recently was made to "feel self conscious of my shoulders."
The bronze medalist, 29, posted a carousel of bikini photos to Instagram on March 22, but in the caption, shared her struggles with self- confidence: "I had an interaction recently that made me feel self conscious of my shoulders. Afterward, I looked in the mirror and got worried they were too big," Maher shared. "I flexed and checked them. I wondered to myself if anyone would find them attractive. If they are too much."
She continued, "I’m just letting you know I have these thoughts at times, too. I love my shoulders. I love myself but it’s normal to have some negative thoughts at times. To combat them, I talk to my family and friends. I go workout. Maybe get dressed up. Or look at hot pictures of myself in bikinis."
ilona Maher at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in May 2025Credit: John Parra/Getty
It's not the first time Maher has spoken out about body image pressures; She's sounded off on weight loss ads that clog her social media, taking to TikTok to decry "before and afters where the before is a gorgeous gorgeous girl and the after is also a gorgeous girl but almost making it seem like that before wasn’t worthy.”
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As she shared at the time,“Here I am with another gentle but firm reminder that it is okay to exist in a bigger body. A lot of us are not meant to be small. I’m not meant to be small. This big old frame, I’m supposed to be 200 lbs., which is what I am now,” she said.
“I just think we’re getting this messaging that this is what’s right, this is what’s beautiful and it’s just not the case. There’s beauty in so many shapes and sizes.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
