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How gymnast Olivia Dunne turned TikTok into a 7-figure income
By Kendall Tietz
Published January 24, 2023
A 20-year-old gymnast at Louisiana State University (LSU) has turned her social media fame into a seven-figure salary.
Olivia Dunne has garnered almost 10 million followers across her Instagram, TikTok and Twitter accounts, where she often poses for scantily clad photos and videos, which has led to profitable Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals. Partnerships with brands like BodyArmor, American Eagle, GrubHub and Vuori have made her the most profitable female college athlete and the 6th most profitable NCAA athlete with a $3 million NIL valuation, according to On3.
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"I am very grateful to be making seven figures," Dunne said during an appearance Friday on the "Today" show. "It is very cool that someone in college has the opportunity to do that now."
Following the season-opening on Jan. 6, where LSU lost to Utah, fans gathered outside the stadium to catch a glimpse of the gymnastics star, even though she wasn't in the lineup to compete, according to OutKick. During the meet, fans with signs repeatedly chanted "we want Livvy" throughout the night and were "saying rude things and swearing," according to reports.
LSU reportedly had to move its team bus, so the gymnasts didn’t have to run into the group of boys. Following that meet, the university was forced to put in more security measures.
"In the past I have had some of my supporters come out to the meets and watch and cheer for LSU, but that was insane, it really was," Dunne said on the "Today" show.
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Dunne also posted a statement on Twitter asking her fans to be respectful of her teammates and competitors.
"I will always appreciate and love the support from you guys, but if you come to a meet, I want to ask you to please be respectful of the other gymnasts and the gymnastics community as we are just doing our job," Dunne said in a Jan. 8 tweet.
Dunne, along with other college athletes, have been criticized for using sex appeal to grow their social media brand and score profitable partnerships with big brands. Dunne recently defended her social media presence, arguing that the way people perceive her content is not a "woman’s responsibility."
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Tara VanDerveer, Stanford women’s basketball coach, has also criticized Dunne and her social media following as a "step back" for female athletes.
"I guess sometimes we have this swinging pendulum, where we maybe take two steps forward, and then we take a step back," she told The New York Times. "We're fighting for all the opportunities to compete, to play, to have resources, to have facilities, to have coaches, and all the things that go with Olympic-caliber athletics."
In the New York Times article, columnist Kurt Streeter took shots at Dunne and other female athletes for the way they make money off of NIL deals.
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"To Dunne, and many other athletes of her generation, being candid and flirty and showing off their bodies in ways that emphasize traditional notions of female beauty on social media are all empowering" Streeter wrote.
"Race cannot be ignored as part of the dynamic," he added. "A majority of the most successful female moneymakers are white. Sexual orientation can’t be ignored, either. Few of the top earners openly identify as gay, and many post suggestive images of themselves that seem to cater to the male gaze."
Dunne hit back and posted a photo in response with the caption, @nytimes "Is this too much?"
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Fox News Digital's Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report
https://www.foxnews.com/media/gymnast-olivia-dunne-turned-tiktok-7-figure-income