How Ilona Maher Brings Femininity Into the ‘Traditionally Masculine’ Sport of Women’s Rugby

Team USA’s Ilona Maher is spicing up women’s rugby in the beauty department.

“I play a sport that is traditionally very masculine,” Maher, 27, told Allure on Wednesday, July 31. “You have to be, supposedly, very manly to play. So I wear makeup [on the pitch] to give a big ‘F you’ to having to sacrifice my femininity. Even while I wear lipstick or have mascara on, I can still tackle hard, run hard, and be a great rugby player.”

Maher, who can normally be seen rocking red lips on the field, gushed that wearing lipstick is how she wants “to be presented.”

“I can wear bright colors on the field because I have a lipstick that I really trust is going to stay on my face,” she told the publication, noting her go-to stain is the Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink.

Who Is Team USA’s Ilona Maher? 5 Things to Know About the Olympic Rugby Player

For the rest of her makeup, Maher uses the Tarte Tubing Mascara and the Glossier Boy Brow Gel.

Elsewhere in the interview, Maher praised other women who’ve taken to wearing makeup on the rugby field. “It's celebrating that we are incredible athletes who play a very tough sport, but that doesn't mean we're also not feminine and feel beautiful,” she said. “A lot of [players] wear bows in their hair. It's not detracting from the athlete that they are. I think we also want to make sure that girls know that this is a space to be anything you want to be. So [makeup] is important for us.”

Shop the Best Beauty Products of 2024: Skincare, Makeup, Haircare, More Tested by Us Weekly Editors

When she’s not busy winning a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics — Maher and her fellow Team USA athletes earned the country’s first Olympic medal in women’s rugby sevens on Tuesday, July 30 — Maher is working on her and swimmer Ann Kearns’ skincare brand, Medalist, which they launched last month.

“We know exactly what [products] female athletes need,” she told Allure. Medalist carries an anti-chafing stick, cooling and cleaning wipes and a hydrating spray. The line is available at medalistskin.com.