The stunning transformation of gymnast Olivia Dunne has been years in the making. Not only has she amassed millions of followers on both TikTok and Instagram, but she also became a national champion in February 2023 when her college gymnastics team, the Louisiana State University Tigers, won their first National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) title.

That same month, Dunne was announced to be the most-followed NCAA athlete on TikTok, signaling her official pivot into social media superstardom. With a national title under her belt, chances are that her following will just keep growing and growing. The petite blond might have originally made her name on the balance beam, but it seems these days Dunne is most well-known for her thirst traps and the legions of diehard fans.

Dunne’s bank account has been reflecting her escalating fame, too. In 2024, it was announced that the gymnast had signed a business deal with the content-hosting platform Passes, officially earning her the title of “millionaire.” In addition to behind-the-scenes videos showing fans her daily routine, the savvy businesswoman has also begun to pivot into fashion and lifestyle content, filming videos centered around red carpet appearances and travel excursions to destinations such as Mexican beaches and New York City’s Times Square. All the while, she keeps heads turning with her risqué fashion looks that often cause controversies. As her star is set to keep on rising, let’s take a look at Dunne’s most scandalous ensembles yet.

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Olivia Dunne’s angel wings invoke ire in feminist commentator
livvydunne / Instagram
Almost any outfit Olivia Dunne wears receives a bevy of online attention, and recently, it’s her R-rated Halloween costumes that have landed her in the hottest of waters.

In an articled published by The Guardian titled “How Olivia Dunne turned the male gaze into a gymnastics empire,” writer Lauren Mechling questions whether or not Dunne’s provocative social media content is a good look for the gymnastics community. Mechling picks up on one outfit in particular that has little to do with her sports-forward brand. She writes that Dunne “has mastered the art of posting sports-agnostic selfies that send her fans into a tizzy. Occasionally she wears a leotard, but mostly she dons croptops, minidresses, angel wings.”

This outfit in question was Dunne’s 2022 Halloween costume, in which she donned all three of Mechling’s top offenders. With a pair of tiny, black angel wings strapped to her back, she stunned in a leather mini-skirt and a croptop. Her caption? “Welcome to the dark side.” Dunne has yet to respond to these criticisms, but her posting schedule has not skipped a beat.

Olivia responded to criticism about her uniform
James Gilbert/Getty Images
It should come as no surprise to hear that Olivia Dunne has had to deal with a lot of haters. Not only is she a woman who lives a public life, detailing her day-to-day on Instagram and TikTok, but she is also an athlete whose uniform shows more skin than many have deemed appropriate, pointing to the massive amount of male attention her social media accounts have garnered.

In an interview with Elle, the LSU gymnast opened up about how she handles such criticism, specifically of her university-mandated leotard. Dunne said, “It’s not a girl’s responsibility how a man looks at her or how he acts, especially when you’re doing your sport and that’s your uniform. I can’t help the way I look, and I’m going to post what I feel comfortable with.”

The rebuttal came after an incident where flocks of male fans crowded the stands during Dunne and her teammate’s first meet of the 2023 season, with many of them interrupting the event’s professional atmosphere by screaming Dunne’s name. A video circulated on X showing throngs of young men standing outside the gym chanting for Dunne. According to Elle, some female gymnasts who attended were even verbally harassed by her fans. While many have pointed to Dunne’s revealing uniform as the cause for such sexualized attention, the athlete won’t stand for it. “I am just a 20-year-old student,” Dunne asserted. “I think people do forget that.”

Patriotism leads to crazed comments for Olivia Dunne
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Do you remember the coastal grandmother trend on TikTok? The fashion and lifestyle trend, which dominated the social media app when it first debuted in 2022, is all about coastal coolness, meaning cozy cardigans, white wicker furniture, and long button-down shirts. While it might be alright for some, Olivia Dunne swerved hard in the other direction in the summer of 2023 when she celebrated the fourth of July in a barely-there bikini.

Nothing about this looked screamed “grandmother,” but it was giving coastal, with Dunne posing stretched out on a beach towel rocking a straw cowboy hat atop her famous blond mop. The brown-eyed beauty kept the caption simple, writing “Seeing stars” with an American flag emoji. While her stars and stripes bathing suit had some fans keeping it simple too, dropping fire emojis and compliments in the comments section, others had a more spirited response.

Some applauded their favorite gymnast for showing pride in her nation. One fan cheekily wrote, “God bless America! And god bless this picture! And God…uh…forgive me for looking at this picture for the amount of time I did!” However, others took the opportunity to scrutinize Dunne’s body for any hint of photo editing. One person wrote, “Lol the sand curving above her buttcheek in the first pic…” while another commented, “The way the [towel] and sand are warped where her butt … this is pure comedy,” with both implying that the image had been manipulated.

Olivia Dunne got a lot of attention for her Game of Thrones costume
livvydunne / Instagram
Ever since the HBO juggernaut first aired in 2011, there has never been a lack of voices weighing in on what Daenerys Targaryen from “Game Of Thrones” should actually look like on the show. In the series, she is portrayed by Emilia Clarke and dons long, flowing white hair. However, another famous blond, Olivia Dunne, gave her own spin on the iconic character’s look when she dressed as Daenerys for Halloween in 2023.

While Dunne might not have had a pet dragon to give her costume that extra edge, she did channel some of Clarke’s seductive energy by donning a revealing bandage dress in a beige color, giving it a torn, dystopian feel. Dunne’s blond hair was also worn long and loose, with two strands pulled back into Daenerys’ famed side braids. Despite her efforts, though, fans were quick to criticize the gymnast’s take on such a beloved fantasy character.

For some the bandage dress was a bit too seductive. While Clarke herself bared all on the television series, appearing in full nude scenes, many commenters felt that Dunne should have chosen a more PG version of the character’s look for her young, impressionable audience. One observer stated plainly, “That dress does not fit you.” Others felt that the gymnast’s ensemble was not totally accurate to the character. One GoT superfan called Dunne “Just a blonde in a dress,” stating, “I don’t recognise this as Daenerys character.”

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Olivia Dunne’s sheer dress caused some controversy
livvydunne / Instagram
Olivia Dunne looked like she stepped out of the gym and right onto the catwalk in this evening look she posted to her Instagram in May 2024. The athlete was rocking a nearly all-sheer dress in black that featured a bandeau style top and a wrap skirt, paired with her signature blond hair styled into beachy waves. It turns out Dunne was right on theme, as the event she attended clad in this skin-bearing number was a party in honor of the 60th anniversary of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue.

Posting a carousel of images at the event, Dunne shared a series of snaps that showed her posing with fellow high-powered women, including golf superstar Paige Spiranac and modeling legend Tyra Banks. Fittingly, Dunne captioned her Instagram post, “No boys allowed.” While many fans responded to the caption in a joking way, pointing out men in the background of Dunne’s group shots, others took offense to the seemingly feminist statement.

One commenter wrote, “I really wish there was a dislike button,” while another said, “Your career is a thing because of boys.” Others called foul, claiming that Dunne’s look was out of character for the gymnast suggesting Facetune was used to alter the image. All in all, many people rallied against the post, with 500 people liking a comment that read, “That first pic don’t even look like livvy.”