Simone Biles is widely regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time (and the most decorated, with 11 Olympic and 30 World Championship medals). Her name has been on our lips ever since the Paris Olympics this summer—and for reasons that go beyond her physical prowess.
The 27-year-old has become an outspoken advocate for embracing your natural hair, speaking openly and regularly about the complicated relationship between hair texture and self-confidence since she first stepped into the public eye. The athlete addressed the impact of beauty standards and online criticism in her documentary Simone Biles Rising and recently became an ambassador for molecular hair restoration brand K18.
Biles’ makeup routine has also become a source of viral intrigue. From the image of her reapplying her lip liner during a competition at the recent Olympics to the legions of social media users attempting to identify her most-used products, the athlete has become nothing short of a beauty icon.
As she prepares for her Gold Over America Tour, Biles spoke to Harper’s Bazaar UK about the evolution of self-image, changing beauty standards in sports and how Team USA’s pre-game makeup rituals spark joy.
On embracing athleticism…
“When I’m in the gym, my beauty philosophy is very raw, unfiltered, and all about embracing athleticism. I usually don’t wear makeup and my hair is everywhere. Outside of the gym, I like to dress up, do my hair and makeup – but makeup is more of a show-up-and-show-out thing, when I need to. That’s usually not the focus until competition time and for events.”
On evolving approaches to beauty…
“Do you remember going through those phases as a teenager and being a little bit insecure? That’s when I really started getting into beauty. You’re confronted with it because your friends start wearing makeup and doing their hair differently – whether it’s curling or straightening. My relationship with beauty has changed a lot over time, sometimes with the trends and sometimes not. Now I would still say my personal preference is always to have a clean face and just be confident in who I am. I usually have semi-permanent lashes even when I’m not wearing makeup, but I think it’s really special to fall in love with what your natural face looks like.”
On the impact of gymnastics on beauty…
“As an athlete, the last few years have had an impact on how my hair care routine has changed. When we’re in the gym, our hair has to be tight so that it stays put during all of our skills; that’s usually in a high bun or a high ponytail. Over time, my hair has taken a lot of stress from the breakage, the ponytails, the buns. I go through phases where my hair is really breaking off and then phases where I’m getting that healthy hair back.
“One thing that helps me immensely with my hair care is the K18 products. My hairstylist Jazz introduced me to my two 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 have really seen and felt a difference in the overall health of my hair.”
About her and self-confidence…
“The conversation about hair and confidence was a little harder when I was younger. My hair doesn’t look like every other girl’s hair around me. We used to have perms and silk presses, and while I’m not saying I don’t do those anymore, my hair is pretty much all natural these days. I don’t have a problem with the flyaways or my coarse texture. I feel like the black community has also evolved with rocking our natural hair, which I absolutely love. When I was younger, it was always hard to embrace that, but now I’m very confident in it.”
About beauty contests…
“I usually get inspired by the leotard I’m going to be wearing to make sure I feel as comfortable and confident as possible. If I have something more going on in the leotard, I’ll do a basic hair and makeup look, like a front braid or two braids, depending on the symmetry. If not, I’ll do something more on my face, like winged eyeliner or a stronger pink lipstick instead of a nude. It’s really fun that we can play around with whatever our outfits are during competition season.”
About viral makeup moments…
“I didn’t think people would pay that much attention [to make-up and hair] but everyone has been saying, “Who did your makeup at the Olympics?” I did my makeup at the Olympics! That was actually kind of fun because I’ve been working so hard on my makeup for the past year to make sure that I’m comfortable with how it looks and to make it look a little more professional. We don’t have makeup artists come in and do that for us or teach us how to do our hair and makeup, that’s all on us, so I’ve been trying to perfect that and shape it. It’s been fun to get that feedback.”
Preparing for the beauty pageant with Team USA…
“Jordan [Chiles] and I always joke about the look we do. Should we keep it simple? Should we have a bold look? Our makeup and hair routines are probably the most complex of the team. Suni [Lee] always looks absolutely stunning and beautiful, but she likes three things, while Jordan and I still stand in the bathroom for 40 minutes making sure every step is done. I feel like we’ve learned so much from each other, whether it’s how to line your lips or when to use your spray so your lip doesn’t move. When we’re on assignment, we’re roommates, so we spend a lot of time in the bathroom getting ready together.”
About changing beauty ideals…
“For athletes, I think beauty looks a little bit different. 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 your face to be covered in makeup or your pores to be clogged. I do think beauty standards are changing when it comes to that; it’s okay to not wear as much makeup when we’re out there performing because that’s not the main focus. Look at Alicia Keys, she’s absolutely stunning. She’ll wear lipstick here and there, but she’s always fresh-faced. It’s really personal preference and beauty isn’t about what you wear, it’s about who you are on the inside.”
On promoting beauty…
“Culturally, I think we’ve seen so many changes in beauty, especially in the range of shades that are available for powders, foundations and concealers. That’s a step in the right direction and that’s absolutely beautiful. As long as we keep moving forward in that area and not pigeonholing anyone, then we’re good.”
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