Olivia Dunne, a gymnast at LSU, recently complained on social media about being harassed and shamed for posting images that could be construed as suggestive. She argued in her defense that she was not accountable for the emotions that people might experience after viewing her photographs.
Days later, golf influencer Paige Spiranac defended Dunne on Twitter and praised her accomplishments. However, the semi-pro golfer has frequently been publicly shamed online because she also posted images of her body in swimsuits or lingerie. To weigh in on the controversy and support both women, a well-known model and influencer wanted to weigh in.
Veronika Rajek is the woman who made headlines in the NFL after she was spotted at a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game sporting a Tom Brady jersey. However, Rajek was already a very popular model with millions of Instagram followers before that. In response to a question about the people who publicly shame her online, Rajek said she views them all as hypocrites because they simultaneously champion body positivity and target her. So naturally, she also experiences ongoing online harassment but handles it well.
In a recent interview, Rajek stated to the US Sun: “People are pretending to be open-minded, but they are not. Although they do not practice body positivity, they talk about it. Many people tell me that I am not classy because I am a young woman with my style, but what about me is not classy? I adore my sense of style and my sense of fashion. I want to show off my young, healthy body, which I take good care of by exercising and eating well. I am who I am. Since this is who I am, I don’t feel sorry.
“I am not wearing turtlenecks in my 20s – I will wear them when I am a mom of three, and I’m 45. I love my body, and this is body positivity. If you love something, show it, prove it. Everybody says you need to do this and behave like this but just be yourself. I am living with myself, and I love what I’m doing. The first thing in my life is I need to be happy in my head and my body because if you’re not, then you’re looking for mistakes in other lives. I’m not a person who is going through other profiles and writing bad things.”
