BEAUTY IN THE OLYMPICS

How Women in the Olympics Embody Strength without Sacrificing Fashion

By Alexandria Sharpley

Team colors, uniforms, race numbers, gear. For as long as professional sports have been around, women have been getting creative with how they express themselves while competing. Rules and regulations limit what can be worn and done, especially in non-professional and amateur settings. When you’re in the Olympics, as the stakes go up, the rules on what you can wear become a bit more relaxed. Hair, makeup, and jewelry take center stage. While you might have had to take your necklace off to run the 200 meter in 11th grade, the professionals have a bit more leeway.

Keep reading to take a look at some of the best looks we saw on the biggest screen in sports: the 2020 Tokyo games. And where better to look than the track?

Above, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica wears a two-toned hairstyle. As the only person to win four world titles in the 100 meter, the 34-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best female sprinters of all time. In Tokyo, she helped win the gold for Jamaica in the 4 by 100 meter relay.

Above, Gabrielle Thomas of Team USA wears her hair long. The 24-year-old Harvard graduate set a new standard for sprinters at the 2020 Olympics. At the trials, Thomas became the third-fastest woman of all time in the 200 meters with her time of 21.61 seconds.

Above, USA’s Raven Saunders wears split toned hair and bold jewelry. Saunders won the silver in Tokyo for her throw of 19.79 meters in the shot put. After her medal ceremony, Saunders made a statement by making an ‘x’ with her wrists above her head. She said, “It’s the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet,” according to the Associated Press.