This story was originally published on July 20, 2016.
With the Olympics just around the corner, everyone is feeling nostalgic about their favorite Olympians from yesteryear. That includes gold medal gymnast McKayla Maroney (notoriously known for her "unimpressed face" during the 2012 games).
But that nostalgia has turned to criticism from fans and Instagram followers who have been throwing nasty comments her way — ranging from body-shaming comments about her weight to allegations that she's gotten lip injections.
Bad news, trolls. The now-20-year-old gymnast is unimpressed with you.
Maroney posted a photo to Instagram with a strongly worded caption where she addresses the criticism.
"I totally understand why people are upset about me 'changing,' I get it.. but if I can promise you one thing, it's that I will never stop changing. Life is all about growing, evolving, and becoming more and more yourself, and these last couple years I've done nothing but that," she wrote in the caption.
"I've finally gotten myself to the point where I know who I am, and what I want out [of] life, and you can either love me, or hate me for that," she continued.
Critics have been so vocal about Maroney's changes that she actually told Cosmopolitan this month that she did not get lip injections. But even if she did, that's her choice.
And for the record, Maroney was only 16 years old when she went to the 2012 Olympic games. She's grown up over the past four years — like any young woman transitioning into adulthood.
She finished her post with: "To me a real role model is someone who has the courage to be exactly who they are no matter what anyone else thinks. And if I can inspire one person to live like that, then I've done my job on this planet."
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