How This Year's Paris Olympics Became A Beauty Playground
There is nothing groundbreaking about wearing a full face of make-up for a 100m sprint. The same can be said for choosing to adorn your hair with oversized bows to compete in the World Aquatics, or wearing a pop of neon eyeliner before undertaking the High Jump. Only less than five years ago, Olympians were making headlines for simply expressing themselves; facing backlash for choosing to show up in ways that made them feel and perform their best, and being accused of detracting from the competitions from their critics.
This year’s Paris Olympics are a welcome contrast. Not only has the sporting event of the year marked many historic moments and world records, but it’s been underpinned by a far more joyful attitude towards beauty, shifting the tone and archaic narrative around athletes' appearances, particularly women's, in sport. From sprinters showing off their patriotic nail art to shot put finalists embracing statement make-up, the world’s fiercest sporting competition is proving the power of experimenting with beauty - both for themselves and, ultimately, for their performance too.
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It's a message that rings true for American field sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson for whom nail art acts as a conduit for expressing her frame of mind on the track. ‘Nail art is based on what mood I’m in,’ she told E! News. ‘What am I bringing to the track that day? I let my nails express that as well.’ Ahead of her Olympics 2024 debut in the women's 100m race, which will take place on August 2, her bold acrylic nails are expected to hint at the energy she'll be exuding on the day. Colourful nails have been among the most playful beauty accents for this year's Olympics, with Team France’s Melanie De Jesus Dos Santos sporting a Barbie pink manicure and Ukraine's Olga Kharlan opting for bright blue and yellow fingertips.
The medal-worthy beauty moments don't stop there. There was Coco Gauff’s bow for the women's singles tennis with a patriotic twist in the form of red, blue and white bands; Jordan Chiles taking on two major beauty trends (ombre lipstick and bows) before reaching for her Glossier Balm Dotcom just moments after competing in the gymnastics final, and Brazil’s Flavia Saraiva embellishing her eyelids with graphic gold glitter.
It’s not the first time that athletes’ beauty routines have sparked debate – but sadly not observers have been positive about athletes using their make-up kits to express themselves. In 2020, Ukrainian high jump Yaroslava Mahuchikh’s yellow eyeliner made headlines, and just this week Simone Biles faced scrutiny after critics commented that her hair looked 'undone'. Let's just say a fifth Olympics gold medal win silenced them pretty quickly.
There has long been a discussion too about the language used among commentators discussing the appearance of women during sport, particularly when it comes to hair and make-up. Back in 2016, Fox News sparked controversy after commenting that female athletes were 'sexing it up' by wearing make-up. To sexualise and demonise women for choosing to do with their bodies as they wish is further proof of the need for gender equality in sport, in all its forms.
Yet progress is being made, and it's thanks to the women on our screens proving that beauty is as much a powerful vehicle to improve performance and celebrate one's individuality and patriotism as any pep talk and wearing a country's colours on a team jersey. The growing popularity of women’s football and rugby has been crucial in shifting the stereotypes that once existed within the constraints of beauty and sport, making it commonplace to express oneself in whichever way they choose to. The England football team's love of false lashes is well-known, while rugby matches are now scattered with nail art, thanks to players such as USA's Alex Sedrick.
As California-born runner Shannon Rowbury put it to USA Today: ‘You can be a strong, athletic, courageous woman and you can wear lipstick. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. It’s a form of expression, especially in track and field where my uniform is provided by my sponsor. I basically have my uniform and my shoes and there’s not a lot of expression that’s allowed and there aren’t many ways to show your personality. I like that lipstick is a way that won’t detract from my performance and it puts me in my happy place before I start the race.’ It's a sentiment also echoed by Dina-Asher Smith in a recent ELLE UK interview: ‘With my make-up that’s just me being me and I like to show up as myself.'
That make-up transcends mere aesthetics isn't exactly surprising, but it's often overlooked against the highly intense and competitive backdrop of sport and brandished as frivolous or even vain. Until now, that is. It’s no coincidence that for the first time the Olympics are being sponsored by Fenty, a make-up brand embodying beauty as a form of self-expression and individualism. Nor that there are the same number of female to male counterparts for the first time in Olympic history, now with an equal 50% split. With a new Olympics slogan that reads ‘Games Wide Open’, it seems that we are indeed moving into a more inclusive space within sport.
The quadrennial sports competition will always be about performance, determination and grit, but communicating and sparking joy through beauty can only be a good move going forward.
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