The Complete Transformation Of Ilona Maher

American athlete Ilona Maher made history with her fellow rugby team members after winning a bronze medal during the women's rugby sevens at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. However, this isn't the only reason the sports star has made headlines, as Maher doubles as both a nurse and a successful TikTok and Instagram content creator were she promotes body positivity to her millions of followers. During her years in the spotlight, Maher has become known for sharing empowering posts geared toward helping women with certain physical traits reframe their perception of femininity and the ideal female figure. Her journey has encouraged others to feel more comfortable in their bodies, with her social media pages acting as a visual diary that has been documenting her style progression from the very onset of her career.

Maher herself stands at 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds, so her online presence proves how women with defined muscles, broad shoulders, and athletic figures are no less feminine than their smaller counterparts. Her successful career and contagious optimism make a tremendous impact on women across all age groups who face constant bullying due to their physical appearance. As such, we're here to honor Maher's journey to self-confidence by taking a closer look at her style evolution from budding athlete to Olympic medalist and inspiring role model.

Even early on in her career as a rugby player, the talented young woman displayed a love for expressing herself through style. Between 2018 and 2019, Ilona Maher enjoyed a wide range of fashion trends that went beyond rugby polo shirts and athletic wear. The year 2018 was a busy time for Maher, as she not only made her international debut at the Paris sevens tournament during the World Rugby sevens series, but also played at the Rugby World Cup sevens in San Francisco. Maher balanced her team outfits with stylish dresses, shoes, and skirts. She often flip-flopped between tan wedge heels and pumps, while testing the waters with chic skirt-centric outfits.

It was already obvious at this point that Maher puts a great deal of effort into creating her ensembles. In an Instagram photo from 2019, the rugby star donned a trendy denim miniskirt with heels and a candy-apple-red off-the-shoulder blouse. She tied the look together with matching red earrings and what is now considered her signature red lippie. Yep, this was the beginning of her lipstick obsession, which stems all the way back to her pre-Olympic days. "I wear a lot of coral colors, and sometimes I'll wear a bright red shade because I think it looks pretty on me," Maher recently told Bustle when asked about her favorite shades. Overall, Maher was still developing her individual style between 2018 and 2019, but her confident energy was palpable even then.

There's nothing classier than classic stripes, especially when combined with a simple jumpsuit. Now, jumpsuits get a lot of flak these days, but a bit of creativity goes a long way and can give your wardrobe a much-needed boost. In particular, matching the right shoes with your one-piece can work wonders. If you're going to brave a striped jumpsuit, coordinating with statement heels and a bold lip is precisely the way to do it.

In 2020, Ilona Maher donned a jumpsuit outfit with French-girl stripes and beige peek-a-boo heels. She pulled off a similar look in a May 2021 photo when she posed in a V-neck plaid jumpsuit with a zipper detail. Once again, she kept her accessories simple and opted for strappy block heels with silver dangle earrings. On both occasions, Maher wore her bust-length brunette hair down and applied a swipe of lipstick in a rich carmine red. Even jumpsuit haters can't deny how well they suit Maher, seeing as they highlight her model-esque height and natural beauty.

A two-time Olympian, Ilona Maher skyrocketed to fame after posting a series of Instagram and TikTok reels in which she gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at life during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. As her career progressed, so did her style. Her wardrobe took on a mature city girl feel with a new passion for accessorizing with statement handbags, sandals, belts, and frames. In a photo posted in February 2022 while in Los Angeles, California, the rugby star looked ever-so-chic in denim and a black tank top. Maher layered her base outfit with standout accessories, including clear wire frames — possibly prescription frames as she does wear glasses — silver jewelry around her neck and fingers, and a stunning tan-brown handbag.

Maher also leaned toward more form-fitting outfits around this time, which is evident by the increase of bodysuit tank tops and bodycon dresses on her Instagram page. The athlete donned a gorgeous LBD in a December post in the same year while posing in front of Twiggy, a popular Mediterranean beach club and restaurant in Dubai. Her chic old money outfit also included braided brown sandals, silver jewelry, and slim tortoiseshell sunglasses. And, of course, she wore her chocolate-brown locks down and completed the look with a dark red lippie. Maher was truly in her Instagram influencer era here.

If you're a true Ilona Maher fan, you'll know how the jaw-dropping Olympic athlete loves to wear her hair long and wavy. For those of you who are new to the Maher fan club, her free-flowing locks are almost always worn down without the use of heat-styling tools, such as a curling wand or a flat-iron. However, Maher's natural strands have always worked for her unique look and they have become one of her most defining features, along with her signature red lipstick. Therefore, you can understand the gravity of Maher's sudden interest in updos that took root in 2023. Before this point, updos were mostly reserved for workouts, practices, and beach days. However, the year 2023 saw a number of classy updo hairstyles take center stage in the athlete's repertoire, including a Sofia Richie Grainge-inspired slicked-back bun.

Maher also showcased some of her flirty wardrobe pieces, including a frilly white prairie skirt and a juicy tangerine-orange bralette top. It goes without saying that beachy "Mamma Mia!" outfits work perfectly with Maher's larger-than-life personality. She carried her attention-grabbing style habits into the fall season, as seen in another photo uploaded to her Instagram. In her post, she posed in a colorful spaghetti-strap dress with a ruffled asymmetric hem and gold heels. The entire ensemble screamed "fiery Leo sign" with the chunky hoop earrings, deep red lip, and thigh-baring cut.

So far in 2024, Ilona Maher has been busy competing in the Summer Olympic Games in Paris with Team USA, but in between training, Maher has gifted fans with a bit of insight into her 2024 style preferences. What stands out among the Olympic uniforms and backless dresses are her outfits from earlier on in the year — specifically, her crop top craze. Maher dons a crop top in many of her 2024 Instagram posts, including a photo from March from her evening at Nobu, the popular Japanese restaurant in Malibu, California. For her outing, Maher reached for a checkerboard co-ord set with a thin-strap crop top and a midi column skirt. She paired the trendy ensemble with black heels and a beaded necklace.

What's more, she also wore a cropped co-ord in another Instagram photo from the same month. This set also featured a spaghetti-strap crop top with a square neckline, along with matching bottoms. Maher looked drop-dead gorgeous in the berry pink co-ord, which she tied together with her go-to red lip and dainty accessories. It seems she's moved on from slicked-back updos and is now embarking on the Gen Z middle part trend — but no complaints here, as the stunning Olympian can pull off any hairdo. If this style flashback tells us anything, it's that Maher can rock almost any trend and fashion aesthetic, so rest assured that you can expect only great things from the rugby star going forward.