Nigerian women are fascinating—our female athletes, even more so. We have watched them rise and even overcome the many challenges set before them when it comes to engaging in professional sports in the country. With beauty standards, it’s no different.
I tend to look at the world through the lens of fashion and beauty. An occupational hazard, perhaps. I watched the Olympics in the same way, observing the nails, hair, makeup, and even fashion statements at the games. In conversation with friends and with a lot of research, one question emerged: why? “Why do they need to do all this beauty stuff just to sweat it off?”
What is the function of beauty in sports?
It’s peculiar that this question often only has female athletes in mind. I’ve never heard people ask why male athletes must style their hair or shave their beards. Male appearance is hardly considered when speaking about an athlete’s efficacy and contribution to sports. On the other hand, women are under tighter scrutiny and held to different standards, even in the rule books.
To answer this question, I spoke to Nigerian female basketball star Ezinne Kalu, who was happy to share the many factors that determine beauty presentation. She offered a simple answer: “At the end of the day, we’re just girls.”
Aesthetics is a valid function of beauty, and women in any industry should not be made to feel less than or vain for wearing makeup, getting their nails done, or wearing new hairstyles.
A personal choice or external influence?
Ezinne wears her hair in locs and has done so for two years now. For her, this was a personal choice due to factors including the ease and versatility of the style. “I do this for me,” she states emphatically.
In Nigeria, the conversation often circles two extremes: you are too masculine or too vain. Ezinne has experienced the trolls coming for her and her teammates in the same way. I asked her if the comments affected her. She said it used to, and at some point, she questioned whether her short hair made her look like a boy.
“After a while, you now have it at the back of your mind that at the end of the day, it’s my decision [to wear whatever hairstyle] and I use the makeup and the hair to bring out my femininity within the sport,” she said.
The masculinisation of sports
Women are expected to play sports well but not too well; otherwise, they will be deemed less feminine and, sometimes, aggressive. When Serena Williams slammed her tennis racket in the 2018 US Open final, she was scorned on and off the court for such a display of aggression. Still, several male tennis players before and after her have done the same in a ball of fury with less controversy. Ezinne reveals that referees have told her to “calm down” or “act like a lady” in response to her strong personality, proving that aggression is expected with men but not so much with women.
In the same vein, a polished appearance is expected of women even if they play high-intensity sports and sweat just as much. Your edges must stay intact, and your no-makeup makeup should withstand the sweat.
Despite her many groundbreaking wins, Simone Biles has had to deal with these unfair beauty expectations about her hair and appearance on several occasions, including recently at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Once on Twitter, she said,
“I have 1 question to everyone commenting about my hair when I genuinely look happy. Do you look perfect ALL the time?”
It is not that sweat-proof beauty should not exist, but that women are expected to conform to any standard of beauty that is not theirs. Undeterred by the pressures on and off the court, Ezinne, like other female athletes, continues to embrace her authentic self, even through the simplest of gestures, such as a swipe of lip gloss.
So, the next time you see a Nigerian sportswoman glammed up to the nines or not, get on your feet and applaud because she is real, she’s powerful, and her choice of beauty is valid.
