Olivia Dunne is popular to the point that it has gotten out of control and she is unable to do normal things anymore.
The LSU gymnast influencer told Elle Magazine that she doesn’t attend class in person. Dunne, who is one of the most-followed collegiate athletes on social media among all platforms with 7.6 million people following her on TikTok, said she wants to be “as careful as possible” due to “some scares in the past.”
“There were some scares in the past, and I just want to be as careful as possible,” Dunne said in the profile piece, which was published on Tuesday. “I don’t want people to know my daily schedule and where I am.”
The 20-year-old star LSU gymnast is aware she has more eyes on her, and explained that she is careful while walking around the Baton Rouge campus, where fellow students often approach her for photos.
Safety concerns have been at the forefront for Dunne as she told “Today” earlier this year that her massive social media following has generated threatening comments, adding that “it is a bit concerning.” That came weeks after a massive crowd of screaming male fans showed up at the Tigers’ season opener against Utah in Salt Lake City.
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Teenage boys showed up to ask for photos and follows on social media — while others formed lines outside the venue demanding Dunne’s presence.
The incident sparked a police presence at the gymnastics meet, which led to LSU implementing new security measures.
“It was our first meet of the season,” Dunne told the magazine. “I knew that my success had grown from the years prior, but I did not expect there to be that many people out there to see me and my team.
“I didn’t really realize until after the meet when I saw the videos of it. I was like, ‘Holy moly.’”
Dunne is entering her senior year on a full athletic scholarship at LSU. Despite her following, she stated it can be difficult to handle the heightened attention at times.
“It’s not a girl’s responsibility how a man looks at her or how he acts, especially when you’re doing your sport and that’s your uniform,” she said. “I can’t help the way I look, and I’m going to post what I feel comfortable with. It’s hard to handle at times, definitely, because I am just a 20-year-old student. I think people do forget that.”
Attention has been lucrative for her as her NIL portfolio now includes deals with Accelerator, L’Oréal, Spotify, Forever 21, Motorola, American Eagle, Grubhub, ESPN College GameDay, and YouTube.
