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Olivia Dunne has sparked a massive race debate on her Instagram after posing in a leotard with a fellow athlete. The 21-year-old LSU gymnast made the cover of Sports Illustrated for its Money Issue last fall, choosing to pin the photo to the top of her feed, but the post hasn’t come without drama.
While Dunne made her SI Swim debut last summer, this photo was more about the gymnastics as the most-followed NCAA athlete on social media continues to rise in the celebrity world. The cover focused on the NIL rue change, one allowing NCAA athletes to profit off their image for monetary gain, something that Olivia has done as she fronts a wide array of brands.
Olivia Dunne Shows Off Magazine Cover On Instagram
Swinging a hip as she showed off her fit figure in a skintight leotard that turned from white to purple, Olivia flaunted her toned legs and waist as she confidently folded her arms while looking right at the camera.
Smiling in the one-piece bearing the LSU logo, the New Jersey native posed next to a female basketball player who was not tagged, although Angel Reese was mentioned in the caption. The storm centers around Olivia being white, with Angel being Black.
Sparking Race Storm
Gaining over 800 likes was a fan writing: “The girl on the left dislikes the skin color of the girl on the right. The girl on the right couldn’t care less about the skin color of the girl on the left. Prejudice and privilege are labels that are tossed around like popped popcorn.”
While the comment gained likes, many fans seemed confused as to why the user had even posted it. “What? No one is talking about skin color 😂 it’s women sports. Are you alright?” one replied.
“They’ll talk about until it’s no longer convenient or advantageous to their narrative or pocketbook. That doesn’t mean I have to forget about it when they were talking about it though,” another said.
Olivia has more than capitalized on the NIL rule overturn. In 2021, she landed her first brand deal with Vuori Clothing. Now, she fronts companies including Plantfuel, Forever 21, American Eagle, plus her latest gig as the new face of lifestyle and clothing brand Nautica. Olivia is also hugely popular on TikTok. Her rising status sees her invited to high-profile celebrity events, not limited to the MTV VMAs and the ESPYS.