Considered the greatest gymnast of all time (and the most decorated with 11 Olympic and 30 World Championship medals), Simone Biles’ name has been on everyone’s lips since this summer’s Paris Olympic Games, and for reasons beyond her outstanding physical abilities.
The 27-year-old has become a vocal advocate for embracing your natural hair, and has spoken openly and regularly about the complex relationship between hair texture and self-confidence since first coming out publicly. The athlete has addressed the impact of beauty standards and online criticism in the documentary Simone Biles Rising , and recently became an ambassador for molecular hair repair brand K18.
Biles’ makeup routine has also been the source of viral curiosity. From the recent Olympics where she reapplied lip liner mid-competition to countless social media users trying to pinpoint her most-used products, the athlete has become a beauty icon.
As she prepares to embark on her Gold Over America Tour, Biles sat down with Harper’s Bazaar UK to discuss the evolution of self-image, changing beauty standards in sports and how Team USA’s pre-competition makeup rituals spark joy.
On embracing athletics…
“When I’m training in the gym, my beauty philosophy is very raw, unfiltered and embracing athleticism. I don’t usually wear makeup and my hair is everywhere. Outside of the gym, I like to get dressed up and do my hair and makeup – but makeup is more of a show-off thing, whenever I need it. It’s not usually the focus until competition time and events.”
On evolving approaches to beauty…
“You know what happens when you go through that phase when you’re a teenager and you feel a little insecure? That’s when I really got interested in beauty. When your friends start wearing makeup and doing their hair differently — whether you curl it or straighten it — you’re introduced to beauty. My relationship with beauty has changed a lot over time, sometimes with trends and sometimes not. Now, I would say my personal preference is to always have a clean face and be confident in who I am. I often have semi-permanent lashes, even without makeup, but I think it’s really special to fall in love with how your natural face looks.”
On the effect of gymnastics on beauty…
“Being an athlete has had an impact on how my hair care routine has changed over the last few years. When we’re in the gym, our hair has to be held tight throughout all of our moves; usually in a high bun or high ponytail. Over time, my hair has taken a lot of stress from breakage, ponytails, buns. I go through phases where my hair really breaks and then phases where I grow back to that healthy hair.
“One thing that has helped me a lot with my hair care is K18 products. My hairstylist Jazz introduced me to two of my favorites, the Leave-in Molecular Repair Hair Mask and the Molecular Repair Hair Oil. Even though my hair type and texture is very thick and coarse, I really saw and felt a difference in its overall health.”
On hair and self-confidence…
“When I was younger, it was a little harder to talk about hair and confidence. My hair doesn’t usually look like the hair of other girls around me. I used to get perms and flat irons, and I’m not saying I don’t do those things anymore, but today my hair is almost completely natural. I don’t care about flyaways or rough texture. I think the black community has evolved by using our natural hair, and I love that. It was always hard to embrace when I was younger, but now I feel so confident.”
On the beauty of the competition…
“I usually get inspired by the swimsuit I’m going to wear so that I feel as comfortable and confident as possible. If I’m going to do a little more with the swimsuit, I’ll do a simple look with my hair and makeup, like a braid or two in the front, depending on the symmetry. Otherwise, I’ll do a little more on my face, like winged eyeliner or a darker pink lipstick rather than a nude color. It’s really fun to be able to play with whatever our outfits are during competition season.”
On viral makeup moments…
“I didn’t think people were this careful [to make-up and hair] “But everyone comments and says, ‘Who did your makeup during the Olympics?’ I did my makeup during the Olympics! It was actually nice because I’ve been working on my makeup a lot for the last year or so, just making sure it looked how it looked and making it look a little more professional. We don’t have makeup artists coming in and doing it for us or teaching us how to do our hair and makeup, it’s all ours, so I just tried to perfect it and shape it. I was really happy to get that feedback.”
Beauty prep before the competition with Team USA…
“Jordan [Chiles] and we always tease each other about the looks we do. Should we keep it simple? Should we have a bold eye? Our makeup and hair routines are probably the most complicated on the team. Artificial [Lee] “She always looks absolutely gorgeous and beautiful, but Jordan and I love three things when we’re in the bathroom for 40 minutes making sure every single step is done. I feel like we learn so much from each other, whether it’s how to line your lips or when to use your spray so your lips don’t move. If we’re on a mission, we’re roommates, so we spend a lot of time in the bathroom together getting ready.”
On changing beauty standards…
“For athletes, I think beauty looks a little bit different for us. We love the fun aspects of beauty, but it’s not what we do every day. When you’re training for six to 10 hours, you don’t want to have full makeup on your face or clogged pores. I think the standards of beauty are changing in that regard; it’s okay not to wear a lot of makeup when you’re performing because that’s not the focus. Look at Alicia Keys, she’s absolutely gorgeous. She wears lipstick every now and then, but she always has a fresh face. It’s all about your personal preference, and beauty isn’t about what you wear, it’s about who you are on the inside.”
On highlighting beauty…
“Culturally, I feel like we’ve seen a lot of changes in beauty, especially when it comes to the range of shades available for powders, foundations, and concealers. This is a step in the right direction and it’s absolutely wonderful. As long as we keep moving forward from that perspective and not putting anyone in a box, we’re good.”
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