Rugby player Ilona Maher, who joined Team USA at the 2020 Olympics, is leading the charge to normalize cellulite.
In a recent TikTok video, Maher, 27, shows herself competing in a pair of shorts with the camera zooming in on her thigh.
“I’m a literal Olympian,” Maher says in the clip. “I’m a professional athlete. I run all day long. I lift weights all day long, constantly. And that is what my legs look like.”
“I have cellulite everywhere,” she continues. “It is completely normal, completely natural. It doesn’t not take away from your athletic ability or how fast or how fit you are. It’s just something that’s part of your body. We all have it.”
Maher’s video instantly went viral with nearly 4 million views.
“Me with a 6 pack at 42 but with cellulite on my legs since I was 14,” one person wrote in the comments.
Added another, “Me with my thunder thighs of cellulite, while also being a fitness instructor.”
“I wish I saw this when I was younger when a coach told me my thighs took away from my skills….i was 15 with a six pack,” someone else wrote.
“I’m a size 0 and I also have cellulite. Only sharing this to let y’all know it also does not matter what you weigh or if you lose weight,” another comment read.
“Nothing else to say but THANK YOU. It has been my biggest insecurity for over half my life. Thank you thank you thank you,” another TikTok user chimed in.
“When I was a size 6, weightlifting and running 30-40 miles a week to train for marathons I had rolls and cellulite,” someone else shared.
According to board-certified dermatologist Dendy Engleman, cellulite — collections of fat that appear on the thighs, stomach and buttocks — occurs most frequently in women.
“In fact, 93% of women have it!” Engleman previously told TODAY.com. “Cellulite is genetic, so while weight can influence the presence of it, even the thinnest women can have it.”
This…
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