A TIKTOK troll has learned a lesson in embarrassing fashion — you don't body-shame an Olympian. When a commenter mocked Team USA's Ilona Maher's build with a dig about her BMI, the rugby player responded with a brilliant body-positive take-down. Ilona is headed to Paris for her second Olympic Games this month.
The 27-year-old earned a legion of new fans during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo as she shared entertaining posts about life in the Olympic Village for athletes. Now boasting 1.1 million followers on TikTok, fans love her sense of humor — and her attitude.
But one commenter wasn't prepared for that sass when they left a rude remark on one of her videos. "I bet that person has a 30% BMI," the troll wrote. Ilona soon put that person in their place with a little lesson about BMI.
"Hi, thank you for this comment," she responded with a smile . "I think you were trying to roast me but this is actually fact," she went on. "I do have a BMI of 30.
Well, 29.3 to be more exact. "I've been considered overweight my whole life," she said, recalling being "so embarrassed" by having the word "overweight" written on her physical exam forms in school.
"I chatted with my dietitian, because I go off of facts and not just what pops up here...
like you do," she said, pointing to her head with a smirk. "We talked about BMI. And we talked about how it really isn't helpful for athletes.
"BMI doesn't tell you much. It just tells you your height and weight and what that equals." Ilona noted that.
