Olivia Dunne reveals ‘frustrating’ part of social media fame while competing in NCAA gymnastics

Olivia Dunne became one of the most popular college athletes when she joined the LSU women’s gymnastics team and helped the school to a national championship in four years.

In those four years, Dunne’s social media fame has only exploded. She was spotted in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, featured in the documentary “The Money Game,” hanging out with Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes, and was recently photographed for the latest issue of Flaunt magazine.

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Louisiana State University gymnast Olivia Dunn reacts on the field after her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes, made his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on 11 May 2024. (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)

Dunne explained the “frustrating” parts of her fame as she was quickly dismissed as a gymnast despite being in one of the top programs in the country.

“Sometimes it’s frustrating,” she told the magazine. “The worst thing is that people think gymnastics is easy when it’s not. The job is to make it look nice and easy. You’re not doing it right if it looks hard… The social media look: I worked really hard . hard to get where I am in building my personal brand, and it didn’t happen in the blink of an eye.

“It didn’t happen in just one year. It didn’t happen because of a viral moment. It happened over years of knowing my audience, learning the algorithms, and growing my brand to what it is today. That’s why the people are really fascinated with what I’m doing.”

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Olivia Dunne attends the 2024 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition and 60th Anniversary Celebration at Hard Rock Hotel New York on May 16, 2024 in New York City. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit)

Dunne has 8 million followers on TikTok and 5.3 million followers on Instagram.

He told Flaunt that he admired Nastia Liukin, a former Olympic gymnast who works in the media and does more outside of sports.

Dunne said she wants to show others that they don’t have to be just one thing.

“You can have it all,” he added. “You can be a D1 athlete. You can be a student. You can do social media. You can work with your favorite brands. You can grow your own brand. You don’t have to limit yourself to one thing. That’s something I really want show people.”

Olivia Dunne of the LSU Tigers looks on before a game against the Florida Gators at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on February 23, 2024 in Gainesville, Florida. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)

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LSU gymnastics opens its season Jan. 3 against Iowa State.

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