Ilona Maher, an American rugby player and social media star, is known to wear lipstick during her physical, strenuous sport.
While it’s commonplace these days to wear cologne or perfume to a sporting event to keep from stinking from all the sweating, Maher’s lipstick is an essential addition to the American uniform.
The rugby star recently opened up about why she wears lipstick to tackle and score in rugby.
‘I think it’s important to me because rugby has always been seen as a very masculine sport, and [fans] stereotype the people who play it,’ Maher told PEOPLE.
“I think me, and all the other girls who play sevens and fifteens, really break that stereotype,” Maher continued.
Team USA rugby star Ilona Maher recently revealed why she wears lipstick during games
Maher said that looking her best allows her to perform at the highest level, another difference from men’s sports.
“We wear makeup because we want to wear it and it makes us feel good. I think it shows that it doesn’t detract from the way we play on the field,” Maher continued.
“My lipstick doesn’t affect how hard I hit, how I read the game, how I run. It’s just something we do to say a little bit of an ‘F you’ to those norms in what is seen as a man’s sport,” Maher added.
Maher won a bronze medal with the US rugby sevens team and has a huge following of over 3 million people on social media.
She has become one of the cult heroes of the Paris Olympics because of her outspoken character.
On Wednesday, she posted a TikTok photo of herself drinking wine and eating copious amounts of cheese and bread.
And that has only made her more popular with her fans.
“It’s important to me because I’m at a point where I accept and appreciate my body, but I know a lot of girls aren’t, and it helps to see someone who is,” Maher said.
“For me, it’s important to do it consistently because they see one video on BMI and they feel really good, but then three videos down is something they feel bad about. I’ve done videos on cellulite, BMI, and being called a man. It’s important to me that it’s never one time and done,” Maher continued.