Olympic medalist Ilona Maher was praised for challenging supermodel Kate Moss’ infamous quote from the 2000s, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”
Ilona, who won bronze with Team USA at the 2024 Olympics, addressed toxic diet culture while flexing her muscles in a viral TikTok.
“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels… Uh, y’all tried being strong?” the 28-year-old asked. “I feel good, I feel well fed. I feel ready to take on anybody.”
“You guys gotta try this sh*t, it is a different level,” said the athlete, dressed in a sports bra and leggings. “I love it. Also, have you guys tasted tiramisu? Because… my God.”
The video has received 2.2 million views since it was posted on July 13.
Ilona Maher earned praise after pushing back against Kate Moss’ quote about diet culture
Image credits: ilonamaher
The Rugby Sevens player also showed off her toned physique in May when she hit the runway in various swimsuits at the Miami Swim Show. Asked if it was “tough” being in a swimsuit, Ilona said she was proud that other girls with similar body types could see themselves reflected in her.
“I love it. I love showing my body. I love showing what this body has done for me.
“I think other girls seeing that, and feeling like, ‘Oh my gosh, I look like her, I have the frame of her’ not only has helped me and made me feel more confident, I think it helps others.”
Image credits: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images
She added: “You can be just as confident, feel as beautiful as I do. I have very little control to go on a weird diet. I cannot do that. Life’s too short.”
Ilona was also featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue earlier this year for the second time.
Thanking the magazine for the opportunity to showcase her “strong, powerful body,” the rugby star revealed that she hasn’t always felt comfortable in her own skin.
“For young Ilona, wearing a bikini was once unthinkable, but now I’d actually prefer to be prancing around in one,” she wrote on Instagram.
Ilona emphasized the importance of having a strong, healthy body over maintaining an unhealthy one that better conforms to society’s beauty standards
Image credits: ilonamaher
Ilona was part of a historic moment at the Olympics, as she helped the US Women’s team win a medal in Rugby Sevens for the first time.
She received significant attention on social media, especially on TikTok, after sharing behind-the-scenes content from the Olympic Village and advocating for body positivity.
Image credits: ilonamaher
The bronze medalist recently won Best Breakthrough Athlete at the ESPY Awards.
Last year, she attended the 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards wearing a strapless peplum gown.
The Vermont native also competed on Dancing with the Stars, reaching the finale with Alan Bersten and finishing as runners-up behind The Bachelor alum Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson. During the competition, Ilona became the first rugby player to appear on the show and the first woman to lift her male partner on the dance floor.
Kate Moss used the quote, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” in a 2009 interview, saying it was one of her mantras
Image credits: PASSION FOR FASHION
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Ilona said she was called “masculine” for liking rugby as a child.
“But I never felt that way,” she shared. “But I don’t think you’re going to bully the girl who could probably beat you up in a rage. I love that [rugby] showed me what I can do. It showed me how capable my body is and it’s not just like a tool to be looked at and objectified.”
Image credits: ilonamaher
The internet sensation also discussed the salary disparity between male and female rugby players.
“[Men] get to play rugby and they get paid millions of dollars while we make minimum wage and this won’t be a career for us. I have teammates going into the workforce now, whereas these guys are down there and rugby’s it [for them].”
Ilona, who won bronze with Team USA in Rugby Sevens, recently walked the runway at the Miami Swim Show
Image credits: John Parra/Getty Images
On social media, people applauded Ilona for promoting body positivity in a world that idealizes petite, skinny bodies.
“Bless Ilona, what a queen. I am so grateful to have a role model like her, wish my high school self could’ve seen this. It makes me want to cry, it would have flipped a switch in my brain,” one person wrote on Reddit.
“I definitely feel and look better being muscular and strong than when I was starving myself. It’s hard to function when you feel like you could pass out at any given moment,” shared someone else.
“I can’t believe thinness and being as small as possible is still seen as the beauty standard for so many people,” shared a third. “I truly think a lot of women would be happier and more secure in themselves if we (society as a whole, the women are not to blame here) prioritized health, strength, and fulfillment as a standard instead of fitting into a certain size or shape.”
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Even Kate Moss has expressed regret over the quote, which she used in a 2009 interview with women’s fashion website WWD when asked if she had any mantras. The quote was later adopted by pro-anorexia groups.
“There’s so much more diversity now, I think it’s right,” the model told NBC in 2018. “There’s so many different sizes and colors and heights. Why would you just be a one-size model and being represented for all of these people?”
“Wish we had more of her in the media when I was growing up in the early 2000s,” shared one fan
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