Olivia Dunne’s Christmas Wishlist TikTok Goes Viral

The gymnast posted a video with a TikTok filter featuring a subtle nod to her recent tiff with a media giant.

Olivia Dunne attends the 2022 ESPYs.Leon Bennett/Getty Images

Olivia Dunne is no stranger to viral social media posts. Her most recent TikTok, however, blew up for a different reason than her usual dancing, modeling or gymnastics-related content.

The college athlete used a “Christmas Wishlist” filter created by the social media platform that generates a list above a user's head filled with four random wishes. She shared the video with her 6.3 million TikTok followers and the post has garnered almost two million views in one day.

Three items on the wishlist were totally normal and in line with TikTok humor: “PS5,” “Sugardaddy” and “More friends.” But the first wish, “Be on NY Times,” hit just a little too close to home.

The subtle nod to Dunne’s recent tiff with the newspaper giant was probably a coincidence, but hilarious nonetheless. It’s a good thing Dunne can take a joke. “I’d rather a lump of coal #iykyk,” the LSU gymnast wrote. 

The New York Times published an article, “New Endorsements for College Athletes Resurface an Old Concern: Sex Sells,” critiquing female athletes like Dunne for relying on their sexuality to gain name, image and likeness deals.

“Seven figures,” the 20-year-old said. “That is something I’m proud of. Especially since I’m a woman in college sports.”

The writer, Kurt Streeter, received backlash for seemingly pitting women against each other and taking a sexist angle to the article in stating that because the female athletes making the most money often fit stereotypical beauty standards, all women feel pressured to show off their bodies rather than tout their athletic achievements.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Olivia Dunne (@livvydunne)

“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,” Streeter wrote. “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.”

Dunne was quick to clap back and with a simple IG story of herself in a leotard from the article photo shoot. She tagged @nytimes alongside a sarcastic message that read “Is this too much?”

Golf influencer Paige Spiranac, who has built her own successful brand in part around the way she looks and dresses, ran to Dunne’s defense.

I’m so sick of women belittling accomplishments of other women because it’s done differently than they would. @livvydunne 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.

— Paige Spiranac (@PaigeSpiranac) November 11, 2022

“I’m so sick of women belittling accomplishments of other women because it’s done differently than they would,” the 29-year-old tweeted. “@livvydunne 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.”