Paige Spiranac slams critics who now ‘oversexualize’ themselves to build brand after years of outrage at her

Golfer Paige Spiranac has built a huge following on social media with over 3.7 million followers on Instagram and over 1.5 million followers on TikTok.

Spirnak was a standout golfer at San Diego State before rising to prominence in the sports world. She appeared on the latest episode of “Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre” and was asked about female influencers in the space and whether there was a sense of community.

“I keep to myself. I’m very introverted. I keep my head down, do my job and get on with it. But if any young woman approaches me, I’m ready to give advice. ” She said.

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“I think I’m a little bit more guarded because of the hate I get from women in the industry, so I’m hesitant to step up or collaborate because I’ve been burned in the past. But if any of them reach out If so, I’m always ready to help.”

Spirnak said he received some backlash from LPGA golfers when he first tried playing professionally.

“When I first got into the industry and when I was trying to play professionally a lot of LPGA players didn’t like me and were very clear about that, as well as a lot of influencers that came after me, They were saying. That they didn’t want to take the path that I was taking, they weren’t going to ‘oversexualize’ themselves, and they turned around and did exactly the same thing.

“Sometimes there’s not a level of respect for everything I’ve been through, and if I hadn’t they wouldn’t be doing it now. They wouldn’t even have a job without all the hardships I’ve faced. and I have prepared a way for them.”

Spirank opened up more about his pursuit of playing golf professionally in an episode of his podcast, “Playing a Round.” She said she was doing everything she could to get her LPGA Tour card but began to grow a large following on social media.

Paige Spirnak attends the Maxim Hot 100 Experience at Hyde Beach at SLS South Beach on July 16, 2022 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Aaron Davidson/Getty Images)

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“I was playing really well and then my whole life turned upside down,” Spirnak said. “I blew up on social media. I couldn’t go back to being an assistant coach. I didn’t even finish my last semester of college. I never got my degree, which is something that’s so crazy and I’m so sorry for that.” Never talked about. I was two credits short of getting my degree.”

She noted that things really took a turn when she went to Dubai to play.

“… Then I got an invitation to play in Dubai. I had a blast there. I did a year of playing golf professionally, and I was just mentally exhausted. In golf, you fail more than you succeed. , and I was doing it. The public eye. Everyone was telling me, ‘You should quit. You should give up. You’re no good.’

“All these things, and I had already been dealing with these mental issues for years and years and years of trying and coming up short, and I just broke down. I honestly cracked up. I broke down and I stopped. I said, ‘Maybe I’ll go back,’ and I never went back to try to play golf professionally.

Paige Spirnak attends the ESPYs at the Microsoft Theater on July 10, 2019 in Los Angeles. (Matt Winklemeyer/Getty Images)

She currently works with several brands and attends events as a golf influencer. Spirnak said she is satisfied with her current career, but if she had a choice, she would choose to play competitively over impressing.

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“If I had the choice to do what I’m doing to play on the LPGA Tour, I would probably choose the LPGA Tour because it was just a goal that I always wanted to achieve and it was a dream of mine – and my Wish I could have checked it out before doing full-time media work,” Spirnack said. “But life doesn’t work that way.”

Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report.