Inside Olivia Dunne And Paige Spiranac's Spicy Friendship
Olivia Dunne and Paige Spiranac are two of the hottest names in women's sports, but there's no competitiveness between them. In fact, the two are fast friends and have publicly supported each other online and in person. Spiranac rose to fame as a former pro golfer-turned-influencer, who played for the University of Arizona and San Diego. Meanwhile, the much younger Dunne is a millionaire college gymnast making waves on Louisiana State University's team. She celebrated with the Tigers after their first-ever NCAA championship in April 2024 and posted on Instagram, "forever LSU." Spiranac couldn't let the win happen without giving her friend a shout-out and wrote, "Congratulations!!"
Along with their athletic careers, both Dunne and Spiranac are huge social media influencers who have amassed their own followings. They were also both featured in the 60th anniversary edition of Sports Illustrated, with Spirinac on the cover. This wasn't their first time in the esteemed athletic magazine, and Dunne made sure to give her friend a special shout-out in her 2023 interview.
Olivia Dunne praised Paige Spiranac for helping her navigate fame
As a 31-year-old, Paige Spiranac has been in the sports industry much longer than Olivia Dunne so she had some wise words for her gal pal. When talking to Sports Illustrated in 2023, Dunne spoke about balancing her very public persona while keeping some aspects of her life away from social media. "The biggest thing I've learned so far is that you need to make sure to keep certain parts of your life private. Some things you don't want the whole world knowing, so [you have to] keep certain parts of your life private," she shared. The influencer added, "That's something that [Spiranac] kind of helped me with ... just keeping certain parts of your life private. Making sure not to post certain things that maybe you don't want people's feedback on."
Dunne had no problem posting a twinning moment with Spiranac at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue launch party in May 2024. The Instagram picture she shared showed the two wearing similar sheer black dresses and looking like sisters with their wavy blond hair. "No boys allowed," she cheekily captioned. Spiranac herself shared a carousel of selfies showcasing different outfits, including the sheer one that she wore to the event. Dunne simply replied, "Mother." The golfer indeed has a maternal side when it comes to her friend, and after a particularly harsh criticism of Dunne, Spiranac took to social media in her defense.
Paige Spirinac defended Olivia Dunne over body-shaming
In November 2022, The New York Times published an article criticizing female athletes who use their looks to get endorsement deals and named Olivia Dunne as an example. "To Dunne, and many other athletes of her generation, being candid and flirty and showing off their bodies in ways that emphasize traditional notions of female beauty on social media are all empowering," writer Kurt Streeter stated. "But the new flood of money — and the way many female athletes are attaining it — troubles some who have fought for equitable treatment in women's sports and say that it rewards traditional feminine desirability over athletic excellence," he added.
Following the controversial piece, Paige Spirinac took to X, formerly Twitter, to share, "I'm so sick of women belittling accomplishments of other women because it's done differently than they would. [Dunne] is getting hate for making 2 million a year. She's built a successful business (at 20) all while being a student-athlete. That's badass." Dunne, who is enjoying her staggering social media earnings, didn't let the props go unnoticed and told Sports Illustrated, "Paige is just so great at showing that you can be beautiful and athletic and successful at the same time, so it just really is awesome to have someone like her stand up for me and be on my side." Now this is a friendship we can all aspire to.