The Best Olympic Beauty Signatures, From Mark Spitz’s Mustache to Venus Williams’s All-American Braids

 

Olympians are nothing if not extremists. These are people who wake up before the sun every day and spend their waking hours pushing the boundaries of their physical limits. With each practice they tumble higher, land softer, turn faster, and dolphin-kick their way into rewriting the history of what’s humanly possible. Which is why it should come as no surprise that they also feel untethered from traditional beauty norms, often carving out a visual signature as distinctive as their sporting style by way of a bold haircut, graphic rimming of eyeliner, or spirited nail length that leaves an impression as irrefutable as a world record.

Defying the laws of aerodynamics in 1972, swimmer Mark Spitz chose to keep his mustache and windblown lengths intact while he set a new record for the most gold medals in a single Olympics—a title that he would hold until the buzz-cut, clean-shaven, and swim cap–wielding Michael Phelps dove into the water more than three decades later. For his part, Phelps joins a league of swimmers including Missy Franklin, Stephanie Rice, Elizabeth Beisel, and Matt Grevers, who, unable to customize their hair as unobtrusively in the water, are identifiable by the placement of their Olympic rings tattoos and dizzying results.

In Sochi, Slopestyle snowboarder Ståle Sandbech ensured that his name would be as memorable as his face, taking off his helmet on the podium to accept the silver medal for Norway in a gravity-defying Mohawk. For others, hair stands as a symbol of national pride, with Norwegian skier Magnus Krog and American tennis star Venus Williams dyeing their lengths to match the hues of their countries’ respective flags.

Runner DeeDee Trotter wore her pride on her face, painting a red, white, and blue figure just above her eye for every major race. Her track companions found mini canvases for customization in the form of their manicures, with Gail Devers and Florence Griffith Joyner (aka Flo-Jo) growing their nails nearly as long as their list of award-winning races.

After all, the sweat-inducing arena of the Olympics is no excuse to tone down the glamour. Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan wouldn’t step foot onto the ice without the frill of a scrunchie. Gymnast Aliya Mustafina understands the power of a twisting double tuck as much as the impact of a smoky cat-eye. And that Peggy Fleming and Vera Caslavska maintained red carpet–worthy updos amid gravity-defying flips and splits is worthy of its own recognition.

Some choices might even be performance enhancing. Would a few more ounces of hair in Kerri Strug’s wispy pixie hindered her from landing that gold-clutching single-footed vault? Would Oksana Baiul’s triple salchow been as impressive without her tumble of windblown bangs? In anticipation of Rio’s Summer Olympic Games, here is a look back at a few of our favorite Olympic beauty signatures.

 

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