As Dorothy Hamill glided on the ice in the 1976 Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria, all eyes were riveted on her technique as she smoothly leapt and twirled. That got her the gold for women’s figure skating. The “Hamill camel” — a camel spin followed directly by a sit spin — she invented made an indelible mark. So, too, did her wedge haircut, created by celebrity stylist Yusuke Suga. What little girl in the U.S., Hamill’s home country, did not dream of having one of those bobs after her win? And, no doubt, the appeal was strong abroad, too.
The Olympics and Paralympic Games have been venues for athletes to make beauty statements, some of which are long-lasting.
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After the gold medal hung around his neck at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, swimmer Chris Jacobs stopped in Hawaii to add a little Olympic rings tattoo to an existing one hidden under his swimsuits. Later, he had a larger one added to his bicep. Jacobs’ ink was groundbreaking — causing him to be dubbed “the godfather of the Olympic rings tattoo.” He birthed what is now considered a right of passage for many Olympic athletes.
Rings are a thing, coming in many guises. Team Mongolia coach Undralbat Lkhagva had his hair cut and dyed into the shape and colors of Olympic rings for the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. Eight years earlier, for the 2012 London Olympic Games, Jamaican hurdler Nickiesha Wilson shaved the rings into her cropped hair.
Dutch windsurfer Kiran Badloe was also creative with his coif for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The bright blue arrow of hair atop his head was inspired by Aang, the character from the TV show “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” Unforgettable at those Games, too, were tennis star Naomi Osaka’s long red-and-white box braids.
At the 2012 London Paralympic Games, Brazilian sprinter Terezinha Guilhermina wore brightly colored ornaments in her flowing tresses. U.S. soccer player Megan Rapinoe is known to play with bright colors for her hair. (Think periwinkle or robin’s-egg blue.) Italian Paralympic fencer Bebe Vio juggles different shades, too.
Olympics of yesteryear have spawned many a magic makeup moment. Kristi Yamaguchi, with brightly painted lips and matching blushed cheeks, smiled for the camera while holding her gold medal for women’s singles figure skating at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, France.
Italian synchronized swimmers Mariangela Perrupato and Giulia Lapi were fully made up while competing in the 2012 London Olympics. There, track champion DeeDee Trotter’s face was spangled with tri-color USA decor.
For the closing ceremony in Rio de Janeiro four years after, U.S. gymnast Simone Biles led Team USA as a flag bearer while sporting silvery sparkles around her eyes and a patriotic red-white-and-blue bow in her hair. The gymnast is known for her remarkable nail art, as well. So are U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, tennis player Venus Williams and track-and-field athlete Florence Griffith-Joyner, all of whom could be seen rocking full makeup looks while competing.
The beauty of beauty at the Olympics and Paralympics is that it keeps reinventing itself. Let’s see what the Paris Games hold.
