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“DWTS” star Ilona Maher talks about “male” stereotypes

  • On September 17, Olympic participant Ilona Maher will make her debut on Dancing with the stars.
  • She opened herself to Women's health about growing up with a “male” sport like rugby.
  • Ilona wants to normalize different body types.

Tonight, Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher Dancing with the stars Debut with a cha-cha-cha to Shania Twain's “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” But for the 28-year-old, this dance means more than most.

Since the official cast was announced, Ilona has spoken about wanting to “show what my body type can do and how beautiful it can be in all kinds of spaces.” It’s a similar feeling to the one she shares with Women's health before the Olympic Games, when she talked about why she enjoys the sport. (Ilona is the first rugby player to compete for the Mirrorball Trophy.)

“Rugby requires a certain humanity and a certain type of personality. For women in particular, it's a person who is willing to break societal norms in some ways and play a sport that is generally considered masculine, male and too physical for women,” she says. “These are girls saying, 'No, turn that around. I'm just as strong. I'm just as powerful.'”

Over the summer, Ilona helped lead Team USA to its first rugby medal in 100 years. The ladies used a “high woman philosophy” to inspire them, sharing Women's health that they played for women “before and after us”.

Ilona puts the same energy into her social media accounts, which have millions of followers. On TikTok in particular, she's a huge proponent of body positivity – and even if it gets “repetitive,” Ilona says she'll never stop working to normalize larger body types.

“It's just important for these girls to constantly see me out there and show that being tall can be beautiful and that in some ways it doesn't take away from femininity,” she says. “Growing up, I didn't have any athletes – other than Serena Williams – who looked like me and played sports like me. I want to be somebody out there. [so girls] don’t feel like they need to change.”

Before she started playing rugby, the Vermont native said she was considered a “big girl.” But when she joined a local rugby club at another high school, Ilona was “celebrated” for her body instead of being ostracized for it.

Now she wants to show that she is not only graceful on the court, but also on the dance floor. She is partnered with Alan Bersten, who took first place with Bachelorette Graduate Hannah Brown in 2019.)

“Every body type can dance and express themselves through dance,” said Ilona Good morning America before the cast announcement. “I don't think you'll see many of my body types doing the tango, rumba or cha-cha… seeing my body type move in that way shows that all different body types can do so many different things.”

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