We Wanted To See Olivia Dunne Without Blond Hair & OMG
Olivia Dunne is as famed for her long blond locks as she is for her incredible flips, twists, and gravity-defying tumbling passes. However, when she first began competing, her hair was naturally brown. Dunne was a pre-teen back then, but she was already comfortable in front of the camera and ready to be in the spotlight. "She would work so hard to master a skill, and then she would want to get the perfect version on camera," her coach Jen Zappa told Elle in July 2023.
Dunne would post pics on Instagram and loved the attention they got. It gave her a taste of what she wanted in life, along with gymnastics, and it was the start of her social media career. "I remember I got my first professional pictures on a podium, and I was like, 'OMG, these are awesome! I want more of this in my life!'" Dunne said. "To be someone else's role model meant the world to me."
As an athlete, Dunne's hair needs to be practical for training and competing. That doesn't mean she skimps on style and substance, though. Dunne often posts hair tutorials, such as how to create a sloppy bun, in addition to sharing her daily hair routine and tips. Still, they're all done with her trademark fair hair. We wanted to see what Dunne would look like without the blonde, and OMG! Check it out!
Olivia Dunne is a brunette beauty
Olivia Dunne's makeover proves she's a beauty regardless of hair color. That's something her legion of fans already know, though. In October 2023, Dunne posted an AI-generated hair color change video on TikTok. "Should I do it?" she asked in the caption. As Aliyah's "It Girl" played in the background, Dunne's hair slowly transferred from light blonde to a light brunette/ash blond. Her fans were there for it. "Dark hair would be an extreme power move," one wrote. "You could go rainbow colored hair and U would still rock it," another gushed. "You can pull off any color. Beautiful," a third commented.
@livvy
Dunne's good looks and incredible flexes have made her one of today's most famous gymnasts and a social media superstar. With 8.1 million followers on TikTok and 5.3 million on Instagram, the LSU sports star is the USA's most-followed NCAA athlete. In addition, Dunne's staggering social media earnings, combined with her branding deals, have also made her rich. How rich is Dunne? Try $3.5 million rich.
Still, Dunne isn't about to sit on her laurels. She's continuing to build her brand and has big plans for the future, which presumably involves her raking in even more dough. "Hopefully, one day I will have my own product," she told Forbes in September 2023. "My own thing, that is my goal in the future. I'm not exactly sure what that is yet, but I do feel like I have an entrepreneurial background."
It's Olivia Dunne's world
To the dismay of her millions of fans, Olivia Dunne wasn't on the USA gymnastics Paris Olympics team in 2024. She was in the city, but Dunne was watching from the sidelines instead of hitting the mat. However, it wasn't because she was snubbed by the selection committee. Dunne revealed on the "BFFs: Dave Portnoy, Josh Richards, and Bri Chickenfry" podcast in August 2021 that an injury forced her to abandon competitive sports.
"I got hurt when I was about 15 or 16 years old," Dunne said. "My bone had died in my ankle, and it fractured, so I realized maybe this isn't for me anymore, and maybe I should just go to college and be healthy and happy." However, don't feel sad about Dunne's shattered Olympic dream; she certainly doesn't. Dunne has no regrets and hopes her experience can be a lesson for young gymnasts. "I really want my legacy to be spreading the word you are more than your sport, and you can have it all," she told Forbes. "You can be a student athlete, you can be a savvy businesswoman, you can do it all and be successful."
Meanwhile, Dunne is concentrating on her post-college career plans. "I'm hoping to venture a little outside of social media," she shared. "This last year, I spoke at the ESPY Awards for ESPN, and I thought that was really cool. So maybe some sort of commentating and just keep growing my own personal brand."