When Ilona Maher hits the gym in full glam, she shuns outdated fitness rules, reframing makeup as a choice, not a taboo.

The Rugby Star shared a video on Instagram on February 25, defending wearing makeup during workouts.

The video, headlined "Why do you wear makeup when you train?" in one shot, showed Maher performing various strength training exercises flawlessly, with another headline in another shot stating "Why not? Not like it's making me weaker. "

Maher didn't stop at the headlines. The video's caption, "My mascara ain’t making my muscles smaller or my work ethic non-existent," further solidifies her stance that makeup and strength training are not correlated. And wearing makeup during a workout does not affect her performance in any way.

The only drawback of wearing makeup is skin-related. According to Dongsun Park, PhD, of the Korea National University of Education, "According to this study, wearing heavy makeup like cream foundation during exercise can potentially lead to skin problems such as clogged pores due to sweat accumulation. Therefore, it is recommended to opt for lighter makeup or oil-free products to maintain healthy skin during exercise."

In any case, it hasn't affected Maher's career. The American professional rugby union player plays for the USA Eagles. She represented the USA at the 2020 Olympics and 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens and was part of the team that won a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics.

And she's carried that energy to being vocal for causes like body positivity and self-love. Her Instagram posts are filled with encouraging messages and quotes for her followers.

Ilona Maher is against a popular social trend

On January 23, she uploaded another video, comforting her fans, saying it's completely normal to be influenced by today’s “thin is in” culture and the nonstop marketing of weight-loss medication, and people shouldn’t feel ashamed for having those thoughts.

"I know that it affects me, and I love my body. My body is amazing, but even I get these thoughts of, oh, maybe I should lose a few pounds. And I do feel ashamed. I feel ashamed of myself for feeling it."

But instead of feeling guilty, she encouraged her followers to be kind to themselves and change the message from being thin to being strong, healthy, and confident.

Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar