Olivia Dunne Calls Out Sexist Criticism About Her Photos: ‘Not a Girl’s Responsibility How a Man Looks at Her’

The LSU gymnast and TikTok star recently opened up about unruly fans causing distractions at her team's meets

Olivia Dunne is snapping back at criticism she received earlier this year after “cringey” groups of boys began causing security issues at her Louisiana State University gymnastics team’s meets.

Dunne, 20, recently addressed the incident in a profile by ELLE magazine, in which she spoke out about social media commenters who later blamed her for the boys’ behavior, saying she caused the furor because she posts photos of herself in a leotard.

“It’s not a girl’s responsibility how a man looks at her or how he acts, especially when you’re doing your sport and that’s your uniform," Dunne told the magazine.

"I can’t help the way I look, and I’m going to post what I feel comfortable with. It’s hard to handle at times, definitely, because I am just a 20-year-old student. I think people do forget that.”

The incident occurred at LSU’s opening meet of the season in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dunne was not competing at the meet because of an injury, but groups of boys in the crowd continued to chant “We want Livvy! Give us Livvy!” during other gymnasts’ routines, Sports Illustrated reported at the time.

Then outside, a group of her fans chanted at people walking out of the arena, some leaning over guard rails and frantically asking, “Where is Livvy?” as others screamed, “Give us Livvy!” and “We want her!”

“This is actually so scary and disturbing and cringey. I’m embarrassed for them…,” tweeted former gymnast and ESPN analyst Samantha Peszek, who took video of the scene.

The incident reportedly caused LSU to move its team bus to a different area, while coach Jay Clark said later the team would increase its security at away meets.

Related: Gymnast Olivia Dunne Makes Her 'SI Swimsuit' Debut: 'I Can Be Strong and Sexy' (Exclusive)

In a tweet, Dunne asked fans “to please be respectful of the other gymnasts” during events. But some social media users responded to her request by blaming her for the boys’ behavior, saying the gymnast “signed up for this” and that she was “feeding into” their behavior by taking selfies with fans at events.

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“To see a woman winning? People sometimes have a lot to say,” Olivia told ELLE. “If you’re a woman at the forefront of something, when you’ve got eyes on you, people are going to downplay your success and say that you’re not doing it right, that you don’t deserve all the opportunities. I don’t want to say ‘F you,’ but the best way to get that to stop is to keep being successful at what you’re doing, because your success, and love for what you do, will outshine any of that.”

Related: Olivia Dunne Reveals the Most She's Been Paid for a Sponsorship: 'I Usually Don't Ever Talk About Money'

Dunne is heading into her senior year at LSU as one of the highest-earning college sports stars of all-time under the NCAA’s new NIL (“name, image, and likeness”) rules that allow athletes to make money off endorsement deals. With 7.6 million followers on TikTok, Dunne makes an estimated $3.3 million per year, according to On3, which tracks college athlete’s endorsement earnings.

The gymnast recently launched the Livvy Fund, which helps women athletes at LSU connect with brands in order to reach their own endorsement deals.

“It’s really important to raise as much money and awareness for these incredible women athletes who won’t have the same opportunities after college,” she told ELLE. “There are collectives in NIL, which mostly go to the men’s sports, and I think that’s extremely unfair…I wanted to let other women student athletes know that anyone can do this.”

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