Olympian Ilona Maher was shamed for her outfit on DWTS — she flipped one cruel remark on its head for the next dance

The stage for dancers is meant to express and find freedom but unfortunately, many are bodyshamed and experience discrimination. Olympic medalist Ilona Maher was also considered the “big girl” during her participation in Dancing with the Stars. In an interview with @welcometothepartyshow, Maher revealed how thin dancers were always dressed in revealing and fitting costumes, while she was given loose or longer sleeves to cover her body. In the video shared on January 19, the dancer noted the moment she knew she wanted to change it and go down in history, and credited a troll's comment for it.

Maher recalled a comment she saw on one of her performances shared online. A girl had written that her mom didn’t like watching the season “because she didn’t like seeing Ilona, like a big girl, dance out there.” “I was like, ‘Excellent. Don’t watch,” the dancer recalled. She decided to use that body shaming for her benefit. She mentioned how thinner dancers had a lot less fabric covering them when it came to costumes. “So I went to costumes and went, ‘I want to be like the other dancers, like, I want to be as naked as the other dancers,’” Maher recounted. After convincing them, she finally got a costume just like the others — no discrimination. And she posted her performance with it, “and people loved it.” 

In one of her performances shared in September 2022 on Facebook, Maher is seen donning a vibrant sequinned outfit, cut at her thigh and frills falling forward, with no sleeves, and her body showing; she showed off proudly and boldly. And people were inspired. Jennifer Roe Droney wrote, “I love her! What a great role model for us big, strong girls! Strong women are beautiful!” Corey Hale added, “I think she’s incredibly brave and such a great role model for everyone who’s ever not done something because they didn’t fit the stereotype.” And there are many like these. According to the National Organization for Women, 53% of American girls are already unhappy with their bodies by the time they're 13. 

By the time these teens grow into young women, the rate goes up to 78% of insecure females. And the comparisons and stereotypes never end. Even elementary students reported being worried about getting “too fat.” 70% of college-going females felt worse about their bodies after looking at societal sources of ideal appearances. Even in their 60s, women constantly find themselves battling societal stigmas on appearance. 28.7% of women felt “dissatisfied” and 32.6% felt “self-conscious” about their bodies. A study revealed that women invest more time in their appearance and are more concerned about it compared to men.

It was also revealed that women had a higher rate of “body dissatisfaction” as compared to men. 59% of women reported dissatisfaction with their bodies. We need women like Maher to stand up for every silently struggling voice, grappling with pressure thrown by an unrealistic world. The podcast caption proudly read, “She went bold, she went revealing, and she proved that all bodies can shine," and it was empowering. As Maher says, “My body is just as impeccable.” @shaylabenoit wrote, “We’re grateful for your proud representation.” @cultivate.movement added, “I’d love to see more Ilona-sized women and muscular women in general represented in dance.” 

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