Ilona Maher has become quite a household name now after her appearance at DWTS. The rugby player has had a great run in the show despite hiccups last week, which saw her hovering around at the bottom of the table. Throughout the show, she has still been quite a fan favorite, with people praising her personality a lot. This has made her popularity soar higher and higher with no signs of stopping. But Ilona is using her newly found popularity for the right purposes.

The rugby player has long been a vocal advocate for feminism and body positivity, encouraging women to feel comfortable in their own bodies. Her advocacy resonates especially as she has faced her own share of criticism for her appearance. Known for her strength on the field, which makes her a formidable player, she’s now inspiring people beyond the game. A recent incident underscored how her presence and message are making an impact off the field too.

In an Instagram video shared on October 27th, Ilona Maher detailed a recent incident that occurred when she went to the nail salon for a pedicure. It was quite late when she entered the place, as only one hour remained before they closed. She said, “As I was in there, employees were leaving [and] all the customers were gone. It was just me and two ladies.” In the middle of her treatment, a man walked into the salon, saying that he wanted a pedicure too.

The employees complied with this request and are now working on both Ilona and the man. Soon, the rugby player is done with her treatment but has to wait for her nail polish to dry as she forgot to bring the gel. After it gets dried, she gets ready to head out when the employees request that she stay a little longer. They didn’t want to send Ilona away until the man was there. Ilona agrees and waits for half an hour more until the man’s treatment is done.

Ilona then gets ready to leave, but before she can, the employees come over and apologize for keeping her so long. They explain that they wanted her to stay until he left so they could feel safer. Ilona completely understands and replies, “It’s a crazy world out there.” As she leaves the business, the man suddenly greets her. When Ilona looks at him, he maintains eye contact and asks if he can come home with her. After the Olympic bronze medalist refuses, he presses her, asking why. Ilona decides that the best solution is to simply walk away.

“It’s insane out there,” she said. Thus, the player realized that she was of much help, as women would have been in a lot of danger had she not stayed back. This made her proud of herself, and she revealed at the end of the video that she decided to treat herself. “Since I did my vigilante stuff tonight, I bought myself mozzarella sticks. That’s my oven that’s going, and I’m having a glass of wine,” she said. “Seriously stay safe, ladies; travel together. Do your thing.” This is just one example of Ilona Maher helping out women, as she has been one of the most vocal people about gender and women-related issues. But she has had to deal with a lot of trolling herself.

Ilona Maher has been trolled heavily for her body in social media

Ever since she has gotten popular, Ilona Maher has been trolled heavily for her body. Many users have questioned her femininity because of the physical size of her body. Ilona has admitted before that she faces a lot of flak on the internet because of her athletic physique and strong jaw. She talked about this in an emotional video before the Olympics, saying, “I get comments being called a man and being called masculine and being asked if I’m on steroids.”

The perception of many trolls is that as rugby is a so-called masculine sport, the players have to be that too. But Ilona Maher completely refutes that statement. She believes that a violent sport like rugby can also be played while embracing one’s femininity instead of following societal norms.

“Myself and my team and some others on the circuit, like Australia and Ireland, are showing that femininity. We are doing our makeup before games, wearing makeup, wanting to feel pretty out there. But that doesn’t take away from how amazing we tackle and hit and run,” she said to the press during the Olympics. Thus, whatever the trolls say about Ilona Maher, she is a powerful woman and an equally good rugby player. This is the reason why she has received numerous offers to play the sport in the UK. Whatever the outlook of the trolls might be, the player is here to stay.