Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher’s latest social media post was meant to elevate as a shining example of female resilience. Instead, it ended up making her the target of backlash by the same audience she tried to impress.
Maher strutted down the runway at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit show in Miami last Saturday (May 31), flaunting bold bikinis that accentuated her strong frame, flowing hair, and one extra detail: she was on her period.
“Men think they are tough but they’ll never do Miami Swim Week wearing only bikinis while on their period like I did,” Maher declared. “I applaud myself.”
Rugby star Ilona Maher’s latest social media post was deemed “tone-deaf” by female viewers
Image credits: ilonamaher
In the reel, the sports star is seen clad in white, dancing energetically with I’ll Make a Man Out of You from Disney’s Mulan in the background.
However, the self-congratulatory post didn’t create the round of applause she may have expected. What she got instead was a reality check—from women who said they’ve been doing far more, for far longer, while bleeding.
Image credits: John Parra/Getty Images
“This is not a flex,” a viewer wrote. “Almost all women continue to work, wear bathing suits, go swimming, etc… when on their period.”
“So she walked while on her period? Didn’t know us women could do such a thing,” another added, sarcastically.
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While many of her fans left positive comments below her post, most female netizens declared the reel as tone-deaf, especially in light of what they themselves push through during their menstrual cycles.
“Imagine being a female soldier in the trenches of war during your period. Cramps, clotting and all! That’s bravery to me,” another said.
“Imagine being a nurse, wearing all white and having super heavy periods, and still going to work for your 8 to 10 hour shift—5 minutes on the runway is peanuts compared to that.”
Many viewers considered Maher’s post as performative and unnecessary
Image credits: ilonamaher
Others pointed out how bizarre it was to frame walking in a bikini as a feat of strength.
“Pretty sure that’s what a tampon is for when wearing a bathing suit,” one user said.
“Congratulations on walking while on your period. I didn’t know it was a flex. Now that I do, I’m going to tell everyone I did the same thing.”
Image credits: ilonamaher
Several also questioned why Maher brought men into the conversation at all—as if enduring a period in a swimsuit somehow made her tougher than them.
“What do men have to do with this?” one commenter asked. “You’re not better than men because you walked a runway while bleeding.”
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The tone of Maher’s message struck many as performative and unnecessary. “Some women go to the beach while on their cycle. That’s not bravery. That’s called being a woman,” another argued.
“So stunning, so brave… The bastardization of words really needs to end. Bravery used to mean something.”
Maher has positioned herself as a body-positive icon in the modeling and fashion industry
Image credits: ilonamaher
This year marks Ilona Maher’s second time modeling for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, an important career milestone for her.
The Olympic rugby player from Vermont first made her debut in the magazine’s digital issue in September 2024, where she was celebrated as a “revolutionary athlete and feminist trailblazer.”
Image credits: ilonamaher
Now, in the 2025 edition released on May 13, Maher appears once again—this time alongside names like Salma Hayek, Jordan Chiles, and her Dancing with the Stars co-star, Brooks Nader.
Maher has been candid about her ambitions to break into modeling, specifically under the umbrella of Sports Illustrated. For instance, in 2022, she posted a video declaring being featured in the magazine as one of her lifelong goals.
Image credits: ilonamaher
“I’m committed to inspiring others to appreciate their body and to find their own beauty no matter what society says. I think I would be a great model for your issue,” she said.
Image credits: ilonamaher
The 28-year-old’s physique, cultivated through 11 years of relentless training, has transformed her into a body-positive role model on the runway.
On social media, the athlete regularly shares her training routines, playfully describing herself as “the buffest SI Swimsuit model.”
“Where is my bravery award?” Netizens were less than impressed by Maher’s post
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