As of March 2023, Livvy Dunne has 3.7 million followers on Instagram, and 7.3 million on TikTok, where all her videos are viewed millions of times, even more than twelve million. There is only one problem for this young American gymnast: Olivia’s popularity is beginning to be similar to that of “traditional” big stars. In most of her sports events like in the NCAA championship and in smaller events, there are hordes of unbridled young teenagers who come to see their idol. With crowds of fans and admirers, it creates security problems and gives rise to chaotic, and sometimes disrespectful scenes. The young woman who has become a star on social networks was visibly upset and even posted about having respect for the sport of gymnastics which was relayed by several American media. All in all, we know that she will not be able to continue her life as a university sportswoman peacefully because Olivia Livvy Dunne is not quite a gymnast like the others, which is exactly what we are ready to explore in this article. 

Livvy Dunne: Portrait of Olivia Dunne And The Dangers Of Online Fame

Olivia Dunne is also known as “Livvy”:

American gymnast Olivia Dunne is an American gymnast, born on October 1, 2022 in Westwood, a peaceful small town in New Jersey, in the northern suburbs of New York City. 

Gymnast to social media GIANT: 

It is useful to know that gymnastics is a very important sport in the United States, and the country holds the second highest total of medals in the category at the Olympic Games. 

Livvy made her debut in the major American gymnastics competitions in 2014, in particular the “US Classic”, which is part of the preliminary qualifications for the National Championships. It was during this competition that she made her first officially filmed performance, and broadcast by the USA Gymnastics public channel on Youtube.

In 2020, Olivia Dunne made her debut on the TikTok social network, which was then booming in Western markets, Europe, and in the USA. First, she shares her gymnastic performances with her subscribers. Next, the young athlete went viral very quickly, and in July 2021, she had more than 4 million subscribers on TikTok and crossed the million mark on Instagram. As of 2023, she has over 7 million followers on TikTok. 

The situation around Olivia Dunne:

Livvy’s mere presence at a university competition is enough to tip the event into a total frenzy. On January 6, Olivia Dunne, a 20-year-old American gymnast with immense popularity on social networks, was announced in the list of participants in the NCAA match – the American university championship – between her team the LSU Tigers, and the Utah Utes.

The fans who came to applaud the young woman with 7 million subscribers on TikTok and three million on Instagram are numerous in the stands BUT their favorite gymnast is not there.

Injured in the shoulder, Olivia Dunne did not compete. To the dismay of her fans, the vast majority of very young teenagers all massed at the exit of the stadium after the event. 

They also did not hesitate to yell at the other gymnasts, who had committed the only fault… of not being Olivia Dunne. 

She handled her public frenzy with words of maturity: 

“It’s so scary and disturbing … I’m ashamed of them,” reacted former gymnast Samantha Peszek, silver medalist in the team competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The main interested party Livvy, also overwhelmed by the turn of events, was forced to call for calm. “I would appreciate and always love the support from you, but if you come to a meet, I want to ask you to respect other gymnasts and the gymnastics community as we are just doing our job,” the young woman said on Twitter. 

Bodyguards and security:

While the police had to intervene to calm the crowd and escort Olivia Dunne during this famous university meeting, the immense popularity of the sportswoman forced the university of LSU, located in Louisiana, to react. 

Until the end of the season, a security guard will accompany the team after a number of safety issues within the gymnastics team

“The bodyguard will be in our hotel and outside our locker room and will drive us to and from the venue bus,” team coach Jay Clark said. They will be more protected. Things have to change. We simply cannot put them in harm’s way.” 

Is Olivia famous for her looks or is she good at gymnastics?

In 2014 to 2018, Livvy participated every year in the “American Classic” and the “US Classic”, and from 2015 in the National Championships. She joined the national team, for the City of Jesolo trophy, in 2017, which is the year of her best rankings: Livvy finished fifth at the US Classic and ninth at the National Championships.

In 2018, she moved from junior to senior, and participated in the Nastia Liukin Cup (named after a former American gold medalist at the 2008 Olympics).

From 2021, she joined the NCAA ( National Collegiate Athletic Association ) Women’s Gymnastics Championship, the university championship, by being part of the LSU Tigers team, while studying at the University of Louisiana.

Despite an excellent level of gymnastics which allows Livvy to evolve at the highest university level, the athlete is far from being among the best in the country in her discipline. However, Livvy’s ease in front of the camera as well as her blonde hair and physique that many will consider advantageous are wreaking havoc with teens her age to reach heights of popularity on social networks. 

Her net worth and salary from fame on Instagram:

While high-level student-athletes have been entitled to earn money from their image for about a year and a half, Olivia Dunne is, according to several American media, the highest-paid university athlete in the whole country. In front of them, therefore, the biggest prospects are basketball players, hockey players, or American footballers, who are nevertheless immense stars. According to several press estimates across the Atlantic, she has already earned around two million dollars thanks to partnerships with brands. 

Livvy Dunne also logically takes advantage of her notoriety to earn money, and constitutes a small fortune, at only twenty years old. While most of Livvy’s millions of dollars in annual revenue come from social media product placements, the blonde hair blue eyed teenager’s popularity has landed her a special contract with the NCAA championship, earning herself “a seven-figure sum” annually, according to the New York Times.

The rise and fall of Instagram fame:

With 10 million subscribers on TikTok and Instagram combined, she is followed almost as much as quadruple Olympic champion and superstar Simone Biles. 

In the United States, however, several voices are raised to criticize the way in which Olivia Dunne acquired her popularity. “Sometimes we maybe take two steps forward and then we take a step back,” Tara Vanderveer, American basketball legend, Hall of Fame inductee and staunch defender of women’s rights, lamented to The New York Times. 

“The opportunities to compete, to play, to have resources, to have facilities, to have coaches and all that goes with Olympic-caliber athletics. It’s a step back.”

At the same time, there are no professional leagues for most women’s sports after college. As so often with such success, there is a flip side.