Alona Maher: Give your body grace, says rugby star

Rugby player Ilona Maher has won the hearts of fans and admirers with her playing skills.

But it’s her message of body positivity that has attracted millions of followers on social media.

The 28-year-old American-born athlete regularly jumps on TikTok and Instagram to talk about body positivity and is a high profile woman in the sport.

Since the Paris Olympics, she has become one of the biggest rugby players in the world, and there are hopes that her recent move to British side Bristol Bears can raise the profile of the sport.

Although he only played 20 minutes as a substitute, his debut match last weekend drew a record crowd for the team, moving the match to a bigger venue.

The star hung around for more than 90 minutes after the game to take pictures and chat with fans.

Speaking to BBC Newsbeat after her debut match last weekend, Alona says she is honored to be a role model for young women and girls.

“My message [girls] Make sure you give yourself grace and be gentle with your body,” she says.

“There are going to be days where it’s hard to love it all the time but give it grace and do things, whether it’s dancing, rugby or walking, to show what it can do for you.”

Aspiring athletes Zara and Millie, who came to watch the game, tell Newsbeat that Ilona helped them realize: “Just because you play a game, it doesn’t make you who you are as a person. But how can it be.”

“Ilona changed the perception of body image by showing that you can be muscular and strong and powerful and wear clothes,” says 16-year-old Zara.

“Just because you play a sport doesn’t define how you can be as a person – how you have to look, how you have to act.

“I know a lot of young girls struggle with that.”

Zara and partner Millie, also 16, play for North Bristol Rugby Club.

She had to move to Bristol when she turned 12 to continue playing due to the lack of more local girls’ teams.

“I’ve been playing rugby since I was six and I used to play with these boys until I was under-12, which is the age limit you can play with them now,” Zara says. is not allowed,” Zara says.

Millie added that the athletic body is “always seen as a masculine thing”.

“[Ilona’s] A role model for me because I’m pretty tall and she’s tall too and she just shows the beauty in that and she’s not ashamed of it.

For rugby union journalist and author Jessica Hayden, Alona’s message of body positivity is breaking down a key barrier in the women’s game.

“Half the problem is that they don’t have the opportunity and the clubs don’t have women or girls to offer them,” she tells Newsbeat.

“The other half of the problem is, when they get to that age, there are issues around body positivity.”

And while there have been campaigns to promote body confidence in the past, what Ilona has faced is her authenticity, says Jessica.

“Personality is the most important thing in sports because people want to understand who the player is,” she says.

“What I really loved was watching young girls talk to him. [after her debut] About what Ilona did for them in terms of how they view their bodies.

“And I’m sure those conversations are happening all over the country about what she’s doing for the sport.”

Teammates Millie and Zara say they are excited to see the boost they believe Ilona is already bringing to the women’s game.

A record crowd of 9,240 turned out to watch Ilona make her premiership women’s rugby debut as the Bristol Bears took on rivals Gloucester Hartpury.

The figure is more than double the Bears’ previous record attendance of 4,101 – not to mention a new Premiership Women’s Rugby record for a standalone game.

“It’s had a huge impact,” Zara says.

“Maybe they don’t play rugby, maybe they’ve never seen a rugby match, but because they follow it on Instagram and TikTok, they want to see it.”

Jessica was also in the crowd and says she’s “never seen anything like it”.

“If you have all the fans who came to see Ilona Maher, they might become Bristol Bears fans and then come back the next week and the week after that,” she says.

Ilona signed a three-month deal from Bristol and Millie says it’s a “really good opportunity to build more of a platform for women’s rugby”.

Jessica is hopeful that will happen, especially with England hosting the Women’s Rugby World Cup this year and A plan to increase women’s participation in the game

“We can have a lioness moment,” says Jessica, referring to the success of the England women’s soccer team.

“Attention [Ilona]Drawing him now can only be a good thing for the wider game.

“Now is the time to invest in women’s rugby – it’s only going to get bigger.”

After leading for 20 minutes, the Bristol Bears eventually lost 17-40 to rivals Gloucester Hartpury and Ilona told Newsbeat they were “ready for more”.

“I feel happy, but hunger is the word – I’m ready to do more.”

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