Image Source: Getty/ Ezra Shaw / Staff
It’s been an incredible few years for gymnast Jordan Chiles. From winning a silver medal for Team U.S.A. at the 2020 Olympics to joining the Bruins at UCLA, it would make sense that in 2024, the athlete would want to slow down. Except, she is doing the exact opposite – and with a gracious smile along the way. Chiles believes that the grind never stops and it’s important for her to approach her busy lifestyle confidently, starting with how she looks. Ahead, Chiles shares more about beauty philosophy, from how she tweaks her routine during competition season to one of her muses when perfecting the hairstyle of the moment.
Jordan Chiles’s High Maintenance to Be Low Maintenance Secret
“I’m always in photos and the public eye, and my smile was something I wanted to embrace more,” she tells POPSUGAR of her partnership with Invisalign. “I’d look back at old pictures and realize that I wasn’t showing my teeth, and I figured out it was because of how my teeth looked.” Invisalign, she says, easily fits into her busy lifestyle, which is key for her schedule as an elite gymnast. “When I’m going to a meet, I can take a tray with me and just pop them in and out as I please, and the process is really quick.”
How Beauty Allows Jordan Chiles to Express Herself on the Mat
Still, don’t let her seemingly straightforward approach to beauty fool you into thinking that she’s low-maintenance. In fact – she’s anything but. Known for her love of nails, Chiles has been spotted on some of the world’s biggest stages wearing her favorite accessory: a full set of acrylics. “People don’t know how I compete in long nails but I’ve done it before,” she says. While she typically opts for a natural pink shade or a simple french tip during competitions, during the off-season, she loves to get creative. “The best set of nails I’ve had were the ones with a ‘Winnie The Pooh’ design,” she says. “I was obsessed with the character when I was younger and would paint the animals from the show for fun. I truly couldn’t have been happier when I saw the design on my nails.”
This creativity is something that Chiles – who comes from an extremely musical family and who plays the clarinet and saxophone herself – displays in unique ways on the mat. “If my leotard is a bit more subdued, I’ll add glitter eyeshadow or crystal gems to my eye,” Chiles says. “I’ve even done some fun graphic eyeliner looks.” Though she does have rules that she has to adhere to as a gymnast, she makes it a point to utilize other aspects of her look to stand out. “With my hair, I’m a little more liberal,” she says. “I’ll do braids, twists, and rubber-brand designs. I’ve even liked how my slick backs have been looking lately – very Lori Harvey-esque.”
Chiles also loves to explore her breadth of musical knowledge in her routines, as evidenced by her viral floor routine from April 2023. “I honestly didn’t expect people to resonate with the routine so much,” she says. “The reception brought me a lot of joy because I wanted people to feel like they were back in the day, hanging out and having a good time with their friends when they watched this routine. From the messages I’ve received about it, I’d say my mission was accomplished.”
Jordan Chiles’s Vision for 2024
It is her love for her community and family that drives Chiles’s 2024 mantra, which is to keep her loved ones safe. “2023 was a very tragic year for me,” she says. The gymnast lost both her grandfather and aunt over the last few months, and in the midst of dealing with it, her sister also wound up in the hospital. Because of all that, Chiles is ready for the fresh start of a new year. “I’ve decided to focus on the good things that have happened over the last few months and take that energy with me into the new year,” she says.
