“No way, there’s no way, that’s crazy” - Olivia Dunne left in disbelief on having more followers than Michael Phelps
20-year-old Olivia Dunne was in disbelief after learning that she has more followers than swimming legend Michael Phelps on Instagram.
Due to her gymnastics talent and social media presence, Olivia Dunne is one of the highest-valued college athletes, boasting a valuation of $3.1 million.
On the other hand, Michael Phelps is celebrated as the greatest Olympian of all time. His 23 Olympic gold medals and 33 world championship medals are testament to the unrivaled dominance he displayed during his career.
However, when compared to Olivia Dunne in terms of Instagram followers, the retired swimmer is lagging behind by one million. Phelps has 3.4 million followes on the social media platform while Dunne has 4.4 million followers.
In a recent interaction with Sports Illustrated, Dunne was asked to guess who had more Instagram followers, her or Michael Phelps. She confidently answered:
"Michael Phelps. For sure."
But it turned out that Dunne was wrong. She was utterly shocked on learning that she leads the swimming legend in this metric.
“No way, there’s no way. That’s crazy,” she said.
"To see a woman winning? People sometimes have a lot to say": Olivia Dunne on dealing with criticism
Amidst Olivia Dunne’s life as a successful athlete and social media influencer, she also frequently receives criticism online. The gymnast is often trolled for her fashion choices and gymnastics abilities. However, she usually ignores the negative comments and tries to focus on herself.
Olivia Dunne shared her perspective on dealing with criticism when she appeared in an interview with Elle in July. The LSU gymnast said:
"To see a woman winning? People sometimes have a lot to say," Dunne said.
Dunne touched upon the fact that women on social media tend to receive a lot more abuse than men, specially successful women. She also believes that the best way to respond to the critics is to keep doing what you love.
“I don’t want to say ‘F you', but the best way to get that to stop is to keep being successful at what you’re doing, because your success and love for what you do will outshine any of that,” Dunne explained.
Therefore, to encourage other female athletes, she also announced The Livvy Fund, which will teach athletes how they can create a brand out of their talent.