Paris Olympics sweetheart: rugby player Ilona Maher promotes body positivity through social media

AP National Writer

PARIS (AP) — Ilona Maher is America’s rugby-playing social media sweetheart. A day after helping the United States win its first Olympic rugby sevens medal she walked onto the terrace of Team USA House carrying a sandwich and had the bronze medal hanging around her neck. In between a rapid-fire media rotation, she squeezed in bites of her snack and re-applied her trademark red lipstick. It was authentic Maher, who uses the platform she’s built to promote body positivity and the sport she loves, all while insisting women who run, tackle and throw stiff arms can still be feminine.