"It feels unreal" - Olivia Dunne on being a rookie for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's 60th anniversary issue
Gymnast Olivia Dunne recently reacted to becoming a rookie for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit on its 60th anniversary. The 22-year-old shared a glimpse of her photoshoot with the magazine house on her social media. Moreover, she expressed her joy at being the magazine’s model for the second time.
The gymnast was first approached by SI Swimsuit in January 2023. They collaborated for an exotic photo shoot in Puerto Rico that would make it to the brand’s yearly calendar.
Recently, she was approached by the magazine house for the second time. The official Instagram page of SI Swimsuit posted a video of Livvy’s photoshoot in Porto, Portugal. She was seen posing in a variety of bikinis near a beautiful lakeside backdrop.
The photoshoot took place in October and would make it to the magazine’s 60th Anniversary issue in 2024. Dunne is now officially a rookie model for Sports Illustrated. In a brand's post on Instagram teasing the shoot, Olivia Dunne expressed her happiness, saying:
“Coming back for Year 2, I mean, last year I said it was a dream come true, and nothing’s changed.”
She added:
“It’s still a dream come true. I can’t believe I can call myself a rookie. It feels unreal.”
Olivia ‘Livvy’ Dunne’s popularity grew exponentially when she was in the first year of her college life. In 2021, the gymnast closed many brand collaborations due to the NCAA’s Name, Interest, and Likeness (NIL) policy. Dunne’s amazing gymnastics skills and stunning looks eventually made her one of the highest-paid college athletes.
SI Swimsuit showed interest in Olivia Dunne’s ‘The Livvy Foundation’
While praising Olivia Dunne’s talent, SI Swimsuit also discussed the young gymnast’s inspiring project, ‘The Livvy Foundation’, on the Instagram post. They wrote:
“we not only captured some absolutely incredible images, but also chatted with her about her work on The Livvy Fund—an organization that works to connect female college athletes at LSU with top brands to secure name, image and likeness (NIL) endorsement deals.”
Olivia Dunne launched ‘The Livvy Foundation’ in July and hared her vision for the new foundation. The gymnast told Elle in an interview that she wanted to establish equal pay opportunities for men and women in the NCAA arena.
She revealed that 66% of the funds raised in the NIL collectives go to male athletes. Dunne hoped to change the practice and educate young female athletes on how they can make the most of brand deals. She said:
“It’s very important to help educate other student-athletes here at LSU on how to be a savvy businesswoman and how to partner with brands."