Golfer Paige Spiranac has been harassed, blackmailed and threatened with murder, all because she’s a righteous babe.
In an interview with The Guardian, Spiranac says her fame, achieved largely thanks to a red hot Instagram feed, has led to tons of negativity in her life.
“I was harassed, my family was harassed,” she says. “I was receiving death threats, people were invading my privacy, I was being blackmailed. This was going on while I was trying to play.”
Asked why people came after her, Spiranac wasn’t sure. “Because I look different to a golfer, maybe? I dress differently, I don’t conform to what golf is supposed to be,” she guessed.
Spiranac attributes some of the animosity to her willingness to call out the LPGA. Last summer, the tour adopted a new dress code meant to get players to “present themselves in a professional manner to reflect a positive image for the game,” according to a spokesperson. The code banned “plunging necklines” and prohibited any skirts or shorts that show the “bottom area,”
Spiranac was one fo the first to speak out against it. Writing in Fortune, she said the dress code does a disservice to golfers and works against the future of the game by stifiling growth.
“I love golf. I think it is a great game but I think there are a lot of things that need to change,” she told The Guardian. “I think it needs to become more progressive, more inclusive. For me to speak out about that, it does bring on more hate but it also starts a conversation and I can create change. I am just trying to get people to feel more comfortable because I know I’m not alone feeling that way. That’s why people are not getting into golf.”
Though she still considers herself a pro golfer, Spiranac is on a bit of a break from the game. She’s pursuing a media career, The Guardian says, and she recently served as the as the tournament starter in the Dubai Desert Classic.
Even though she’s no longer playing competitively, Spiranac says she doesn’t serve to be treated like she doesn’t belong. “When it comes to the golf industry, I know that people see me as a gimmick,” Spiranac says. “I don’t think I am. If I was a guy and I had the same social following, I don’t think people would call it a gimmick. They’d say it was great.”
For what it’s worth, we’re glad it’s her with this Instagram account.