By: Kaja Antic, Sports Writer
With her bright hair, long lashes, and stunning nails, Sha’Carri Richardson’s style is as flashy as she is. She told NBC during the 2021 US Olympic Track and Field trials she wanted the world to know she’s “that girl,” and she certainly was. Richardson won the women’s 100m race to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Unfortunately, she was controversially left off of the American track and field roster due to testing positive for marijuana following the Olympic trial events.
Nevertheless, Richardson set the women’s record for the 100m at the 2023 World Athletic Championships last August, winning gold with a time of 10.65 seconds. However, conversations about her performance seem to always be accompanied by comments about her racing appearance.
In particular, Richardson’s acrylic nails have been mentioned, likening the 23-year-old to former track star, Florence Griffith-Joyner, or Flo-Jo as she’s commonly referred to as. Richardson has acknowledged the similarities between her and the three-time Olympic gold medalist, saying in a 2019 Instagram post, “Y’all love talking about my hair and my nails like the greatest woman to ever enter the game didn’t run in style.”
Richardson often changes her hair colour as well, noting it matches her mood. There’s probably no greater example of this than five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman. Regarded as one of the best rebounding forwards in NBA history, Rodman modelled many different hair colours over his years in professional basketball. The 1993–94 season was no exception. While playing with the San Antonio Spurs, Rodman changed his look numerous times, all yielding varying results for the Spurs’ success. While he was blond, the Spurs went 35–14; while his hair was red, the team went 3–5.
Personal expression isn’t limited to just hair colour and nails. Clothing and equipment play an important role in an athlete’s individuality. The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto has an entire section dedicated to iconic goalie masks from the NHL and other competitions worldwide. As well, some skaters have worn custom skates during games.
Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews has been one player to wear specialized skates, often for a charitable cause. In December 2022, Matthews wore Christmas-themed skates in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, later auctioning them off in support of SickKids, a children’s hospital in Toronto. During the 2024 NHL All-Star Game, Matthews wore custom skates designed by Finn, a seven-year-old SickKids patient with cystic fibrosis.
Stepping off the ice and onto the court, Serena Williams is a legend in athletic self-expression. Williams has been a fashion icon for decades, entering the tennis scene in the mid-1990s with beaded braids and winning multiple 2018 US Open matches in a tutu. Williams and her older sister Venus have both had memorable fashion on the court, including brightly coloured clothing and statement jewelry.
Williams has faced lots of criticism due to her deviation from tennis “traditions,” such as the elitist uproar surrounding her 2018 French Open “superhero” catsuit. French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli said the outfit would no longer be accepted, deeming it disrespectful to the game, even though Williams wore the catsuit to help increase blood flow and circulation due to health complications with blood clots.
Some have noted that the presumption Williams is “disrespecting” the game of tennis with her fashion choices has notes of racist microaggressions. Williams, who has won a record 23 Grand Slam titles, has been subjected to racist and sexist attacks on her fashion, physique, and character throughout her entire career.
Now retired from playing, she continues to be a legend in the world of athletics and athletic expression. Off the court, Williams was the first Black woman solo athlete on the cover of Vogue in 2015. She also attended two years in fashion school at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in preparation for releasing her own clothing line.
Athletic self-expression is important not only for the presentation of an athlete’s identity, but also for the confidence associated with self-expression that leads to winning ways. If you may still think otherwise, there are many NBA Championships, world championships, Grand Slams, Hart trophies, and many more accomplishments from athletes to disprove that they should be prohibited from expressing themselves on the playing field.