Female Athletes Face Makeup Shaming
Translation of article published on August 8th 2024 on the Shidian Figure十点人物志 Weixin account, written by Yuxingba于辛巴
Context: while controversy arose over this topic last week, sparked by two pundits passing seemingly irrelevant comment on members of the Chinese women's basketball team's appearance, this is a longer-standing issue. The likes of basketball player Li Meng and hurdler Wu Yanni have divided public opinion, with the time and care they spend on their appearance perceived by some as less than ideal.
Translated using ChatGPT (prompt: ‘Create a readable translation that sounds natural to native speakers while faithfully rendering the original Chinese’) that was subsequently lightly polished for clarity. Link to the original article here
Can Female Athletes Wear Makeup?
This long-standing, contentious question has resurfaced as a hot topic at the Paris Olympics this year.
During the women’s basketball game between China and Spain, commentator Yang Yi asked former women's national team star Chen Nan out of the blue, "Did you wear makeup when you played?" After Chen responded in the negative, Yang Yi persisted, "No one wore makeup? Not even Sui Feifei?"
Sui, once hailed as the most beautiful player in women's basketball, was mentioned specifically, but Chen remained firm in her reply: "No makeup. We valued natural beauty."
China ultimately lost to Spain by a narrow margin of 89-90. Alongside the collective disappointment at the defeat, Yang Yi’s comments, unrelated to the game itself, sparked outrage online, with a hashtag referencing the commentator's paternalistic mindset quickly trending.
Amidst the public uproar, Yang Yi responded in a post, stating that he was merely asking a question, not making a judgment. "Is it wrong to ask? Are you blaming the loss on me?" His response reignited the debate, thrusting the issue of whether female athletes should wear makeup back into the spotlight.
Why, in 2024, are people still so concerned about whether female athletes wear makeup? The reasons behind this are what truly warrant discussion.
Are More Female Athletes Wearing Makeup?
This isn’t the first time Li Meng has found herself in the midst of controversy over wearing makeup during games.
Makeup and manicures have long been part of Li Meng's signature style. Last year at the Asian Games, where the Chinese women's basketball team claimed the championship, Li Meng emerged as a breakout star. Beyond her impressive 17-point performance in the finals, she also drew attention for her dyed blonde hair, eyeliner, false eyelashes and manicured nails.
Li Meng once showcased her meticulously designed nails in a livestream, stating, "Every girl loves to look good. Standing on the stage I love, doing what I’m passionate about, makes me very happy." While some praised her for bringing a new image to basketball - "Rocking the best nails while playing the toughest basketball" - others questioned, "Dyeing your hair and wearing makeup doesn’t affect your game, but how can you justify playing with manicured nails?"
Whether basketball players should wear nail polish is, of course, a matter of personal opinion.
However, Li Meng’s attitude reflects the idea that athletes are not just competitive machines but individuals with multiple identities. At its core, sports are about "people."
In the eyes of many Chinese, athletes are often associated with a plain and unadorned image, where makeup-free natural beauty is expected, as Chen Nan suggested.
However, as the influence of women in sports grows, more female athletes are breaking away from the traditional image of simplicity, showcasing their personalities and charm on the field.
According to Yang Hao, an Olympic champion from the women's volleyball team, female volleyball players started wearing makeup in 2009. At that time, under the leadership of Lang Ping, many foreign players with bold personalities joined the Evergrande team, influencing Chinese players to start wearing light makeup on the court.
When a new generation of volleyball players joined the national team, makeup became commonplace. Former national player Hui Ruoqi mentioned that many members of the Ba Yi women's volleyball team, known for their tenacity, wore makeup. "The players would apply some light makeup, style their hair neatly, and go into the game feeling more confident."
In 2018, Li Yingying, a volleyball prodigy, burst onto the scene wearing foundation and mascara. On social media, she and her teammate Yao Di even shared beauty tips and recommended makeup products.
This trend has spread to other sports as well. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, one of the most talked-about moments wasn't who won the gold, but the pearl manicure and yellow duck hairpin of shooting champion Yang Qian. China Youth Daily commented that Yang's manicure, hairpin, and headband were natural expressions of this generation's embrace of their true selves and pursuit of self-realization. "Society has no reason to stop athletes from pursuing a diverse beauty."
While public opinion generally supports the idea that athletes have the right to pursue beauty, not every similar incident has led to such consensus.
Hurdler Wu Yanni, dubbed the "queen of controversy" in sports, is known for her flamboyant personality and willingness to showcase her makeup and tattoos, often drawing criticism.
Earlier this year, Wu Yanni faced backlash for wearing heavy makeup during the World Athletics Diamond League. She competed in a leg-baring bodysuit, with star-shaped rhinestones on her face, but finished only in tenth place.
The internet exploded with criticism, accusing her of focusing too much on her appearance and not enough on her performance.
Similar to Wu Yanni, China's triathlete Feng Jingshuang, known for her influencer-like looks and full makeup, has also faced controversy. "Is she a contestant or an influencer?" some asked.
In the criticisms of female athletes wearing makeup, a common argument is that it distracts them from their performance.
But this is clearly not the case. As one netizen pointed out, "Those who don’t wear makeup didn’t make it to the Olympics either." There is no inherent link between an athlete's makeup and their performance.
Despite being mocked for her influencer-like appearance and full makeup, Feng Jingshuang went on to win the Chengdu-Chongqing Triathlon Championship in China. Similarly, Li Yingying, who faced backlash for sharing beauty tips on social media, has become a mainstay of the women's volleyball team at this year's Olympics.
Even Wu Yanni, who has faced the most controversy, triumphed in the women's 100-meter hurdles final at this year's National Athletics Championships with a time of 12.74 seconds, setting a personal best and the fastest time in Asia this year. She has since qualified for the Olympics, where she will represent China in the women's 100-meter hurdles.
Japanese professor Hidetoshi Hakoie, in his study "The Correlation Between Sports, Clothing, and Makeup Effects," noted that specifically prepared makeup can boost an athlete's confidence and drive. "Makeup can put pressure on opponents or have a certain intimidation effect; clothing can help athletes focus, giving them the confidence and courage to compete."
The famous female sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner, who set the women's 100-meter world record of 10.49 seconds at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, was known as the "butterfly" for her bright outfits and long nails. She once said, “Look good to feel good. And feel good to run fast!” Lauren Jackson, an Australian women's basketball veteran, once said that every player on Australia's third-ranked women's basketball team wears makeup, and that it is a personal choice to express oneself.
Whether or not female athletes should wear makeup is entirely up to the individual athlete.
But why, in 2024, does the issue of female athletes wearing makeup still provoke such intense debate?
The Champion’s Stage: Inescapable Judgment on Women
Despite society moving towards a "diversified aesthetic," women are still trapped by the judgment of "beauty."
When female and athlete identities intersect, the challenges they face are multifaceted.
On one hand, as athletes, they are naturally subjected to the single-minded and harsh evaluation system of "competition—losing is the original sin." As New Weekly put it, "In this evaluation system, it seems that only victory is a ‘makeup permit.’"
Take Wu Yanni as an example. Earlier this year, she was scorned and attacked online for "wearing makeup and finishing last in a race." Yet, a month later, when she won the World Athletics Continental Tour in Osaka with a time of 12.86 seconds, public opinion suddenly shifted, with "beauty" becoming a symbol of individuality.
On the other hand, as women, they struggle to escape the gaze and judgment based on gender.
Before this year’s Paris Olympics, the official Olympic website released Wu Yanni's ID photo.
In the photo, Wu looks fresh and youthful, yet the comment section was filled with backhanded remarks. Some said Wu Yanni’s claim that "my idol is Liu Xiang" was a bid for attention. Others said she was too flamboyant and that they didn’t want her to win. Some even took the opportunity to rate the attractiveness of female track athletes.
There is a stereotype that, except for softer sports like gymnastics, most sports are male-dominated, while makeup is female-oriented, leading to a perceived inherent conflict.
As a result, female athletes are expected to appear without makeup, to be androgynous, and to endure hardship, which have long been celebrated virtues for women.
However, those who like to dress up are labeled "vain," while those who don't are criticized as "ugly." Public scrutiny of female athletes' looks often overshadows their athletic achievements.
Olympic champion Yang Qian, for instance, was criticized for "leading a bad trend" with her manicure, only to face judgment over her looks when appearing without makeup.
Wu Yanni’s controversy is not just about makeup but also about her bold personality, with some saying, "She’s too arrogant."
For women, being gentle and modest are traditional virtues, while being assertive and ambitious—traits typically associated with men—are still frowned upon.
Even after reaching the pinnacle of their careers, like winning an Olympic gold medal, female athletes often can’t escape the narrative that "a good woman should get married."
After Quan Hongchan won her championship, a TV show aired a discussion on "Who is more popular with men, Gu Ailing or Quan Hongchan?" Online, people shared their opinions, scrutinizing the two female athletes from their looks to their family backgrounds.
When Winter Olympic shot put champion Gong Lijiao broke the world record, she was asked in an interview about her "life plans as a woman." As a top athlete who meets public expectations, she was labeled a "tomboy" for being too plain, and then her feminine charm was questioned—an irony not lost on many.
In this year's Olympic épée final in Paris, fencer Vivian Kong Man-Wai defeated France's biggest contender, securing the first gold medal for the Hong Kong, China team at the Paris Olympics.
This was Kong's third Olympic appearance. She had faced two previous defeats at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics and endured injuries. Her perseverance and determination forged her legend.
However, due to her striking looks, she was dubbed "Little Lin Chi-ling." Rather than focusing on her athletic achievements, people were more interested in whether she had a boyfriend, if she was worthy of marrying into the Huo family, and if she could become Guo Jingjing’s sister-in-law.
The gaze fixed on female athletes reflects society's ongoing regulation of women.
You are expected to charge forward and win like a man but not display the same ambition and confidence. You must be beautiful, but not overly so; ideally, you should be naturally beautiful without makeup. And even if you are both beautiful and a champion, it’s best to have a well-matched life partner, or else your life might be seen as incomplete...
As someone once quipped, athletes are divided into “athletes” and “female athletes”: no one ever asks male athletes how they plan to "return to the world of men" after winning a championship, nor are they asked about their next steps in dating, even though they are often surrounded by rumors. And when it comes to appearance, “have you ever heard anyone discuss a male athlete's hairstyle or whether he shaves?”
Women are changing the rules of the Olympic game.
Looking back, the bias against female athletes in the Olympic arena has a long history.
The development of the Olympics is, in itself, a history of women's struggle for progress.
The ancient Olympics, which originated in 776 BC in Greece, are said to have been established by a Greek king to select a husband for his daughter. During this period, women were more like prizes or tokens for men to showcase their strength.
In 1896, the first modern Olympics were held in Athens. At the time, the founder, Pierre de Coubertin, insisted that "women's duty is to applaud the success of men, not to participate in the competition themselves."
It wasn’t until the 1900 Paris Olympics that women were first allowed to participate. Out of 997 athletes, only 22 were women, competing in sports deemed "suitable for women," like tennis. By the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, women were finally allowed to compete in athletics, but the longest race they could run was limited to 800 meters because society believed that "women simply couldn’t run that far."
Even when these early female athletes climbed the podium and broke records, they often found themselves caught in the debate of "why aren't you at home taking care of the kids?"
Moreover, for a long time, female athletes had little control over what they wore.
In the early 20th century, the Olympic Committee's rules stated, "Women are forbidden from participating in sports that cannot be performed in long skirts." In women's swimming, athletes could only remove their long robes right before the competition started; female tennis players were required to wear corsets and petticoats during matches. The tennis short skirt, now ubiquitous, was then considered "crude and immoral."
In the 1999 Women’s World Cup final, U.S. player Brandi Chastain was publicly shamed after exposing her sports bra in celebration of a goal.
Ironically, in some fields, female athletes were often required to “wear less.”
For example, in early women’s beach volleyball and rugby matches, female athletes' bodies were considered part of their "commercial value," and they were often required to compete in bikinis and similar attire.
In the 2021 Beach Handball Championships, the Norwegian women’s team was fined 1,500 euros for wearing shorts instead of the required bikini bottoms because the “fabric covering their buttocks exceeded 10 centimeters.”
British journalist Hannah Smith once said, “Women’s bodies and the way they are dressed are treated as public property, more specifically, as the property of the patriarchy.”
As women’s influence in public affairs and the sports industry continues to grow, female athletes are beginning to fight for the right to choose their attire.
At the Tokyo Olympics, the German women’s gymnastics team made headlines by swapping their bikini-cut bottoms for full-length leotards, stating, “We want to show that every woman, every person, should have the right to decide what to wear in any situation.”
True freedom doesn’t come from wearing more or less or from wearing makeup or not—it comes from having the freedom to choose.
Although many female athletes still face various inequalities in today’s sports arena, such as unequal resource allocation, insufficient media coverage, and limited career development opportunities, sports commentator Huang Jianxiang has called out the significant pay gap between China’s women’s and men’s soccer teams, even though the women’s team often achieves far better results.
But the true power of women is quietly changing the rules of the game.
This year, the French team prepared both skirts and pants as uniform options, no longer requiring female athletes to wear skirts. The attire for award ceremony volunteers also no longer distinguishes between genders, consisting of unified shirts, trousers, and flat shoes.
It’s worth noting that this year's Paris Olympics has been hailed as the most gender-equal in history. Despite criticism of the opening ceremony, its representation of female power left a lasting impression.
For the first time in history, the number of female athletes in the Olympics reached 50%, with the Games returning to Paris 128 years after women first participated. Among the 405 athletes in the Chinese delegation, 269 were women, making up 66.42% of the team.
It took women a century to go from being allowed to compete to achieving numerical equality.
I recall a statement made by Xue Zhaofeng during a debate on The U Can U Bibi Show about women’s freedom to dress as they wish: “In the backward old days, women were subjected to restrictions and constraints; but in modern civilized society, women are afforded respect and freedom. The scope of women's work, their lifestyle choices, and even how they choose to dress will ultimately become indicators of a society's level of civilization.”
In the context of today’s global discourse on women's empowerment, discussing whether female athletes should wear makeup feels particularly ironic.
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