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Gymnast-turned-social media powerhouse Livvy Dunne is more than just a rising star. She’s also a self-proclaimed Swiftie.
As her relationship with Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star pitcher Paul Skenes has taken center stage, Dunne says she’s looking to none other than Taylor Swift for guidance on navigating fame, scrutiny, and love in the public eye.
“[Taylor] has her boyfriend that’s a professional athlete and my boyfriend is a professional athlete as well,” the former LSU gymnast told Page Six. “And she has her own success and I have my own success, so I try to look at her perspective on things and how she handles criticism, how she navigates.”
Dunne’s connection to the pop star go beyond dating a celeb athlete. The Fanatics Sportsbook ad star points calls Swift’s relentless work ethic, business savvy, and ability to deflect criticism traits she admires. “She’s a trailblazer,” Dunne added.
All of these moves are what she wants to emulate balancing her own skyrocketing career with her not-so-private personal life.
Like thousands of others, the 21-year-old influencer shared a clip from Swift’s New Heights podcast appearance. The clip shows Swift joking about male sports fans and how she’s exactly what they want to see more of when they’re tuning in to a football game. Dunne reposted the clip with a laughing emoji, showing her appreciation for Swift’s ability to poke fun at her own presence in the sports world.
Dune gets the challenges that come with being a woman attached to a high-profile athlete. Still, she thinks Swift gets the worst of it, even more than she does.
“…The bigger you are, the more people you have trying to tear you down,” Dunne explained. “It just really resonated with me [because] it’s a unique position to be in…for some people, women in sports is uncomfortable for some reason.”
Since her relationship with Skenes became public in August 2023, Dunne has dealt with criticism on social media. Because that’s what comes with being in the public eye.
Baseball fans may flood her comments with references to her boyfriend, but by looking to Swift as a role model, Dunne is copying a relationship prototype that balances love, career, and the spotlight.
