From Flo Jo to Sha'Carri Richardson, Black Women Athletes Have Always Broken the Beauty Mold

When I think back on the pop culture beauty icons who shaped me as I came of age, there are, of course, girl groups like Destiny's Child and fictional characters like Zaria from The Parent ’Hood and Moesha. But there's a group of talented women who, despite being featured prominently in the public eye, don't always get their due: athletes. 

When I first made the varsity track team, I was elated that my coach saw my talent and trained diligently to ensure I could compete at my best. But one thing was missing from my black-and-white tracksuit: oomph like Flo-Jo's. Thumbing through the pages of Running for Dummies by Florence Griffith Joyner in the Media Play book store during one of my weekly strolls with my sister and mom, I knew I wanted to be her—not just as an athlete but also as a beauty icon. The nails, the hair, the lipstick: She was Black Girl Magic before we, as a community, had even coined the term. But I was a 13-year-old girl whose mom would only let her wear her hair up (because anything else was "too grown") and a swipe of clear MAC Cosmetics Lipglass. So I opted for a pair of Nikes with neon-colored spikes and wore my hair in a carefully coiffed doughnut bun like Dominique Dawes for each meet. 

Black female athletes have always paved the way in beauty, racial equality (even when they didn't receive it), and gender parity. And I want to give them their flowers. Below, get to know 10 of the most impactful.

Tidye Pickett

As I researched this story, one thing became clear: There are many unsung Black women in sports. Chicago-born Tidye Pickett—who can be seen in black-and-white photos wearing her era's popular blunt bob and bangs—was a two-time Olympian and the first Black woman from the United States to compete in the Olympics. And yet, she isn't a household name. Why? Well, racism—both covert and overt—managed to snuff out her impact.

When Pickett and fellow Black runner Louise Stokes qualified for the 1932 Olympic team, the sports community did not welcome them with open arms. In fact, Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias, the most famed female athlete of the time, poured water on Pickett and Stokes as they were sleeping in their bunks. As they endured the hurdles of Didrikson Zaharias' racism, just before the 1932 Olympic Games, Pickett and Stokes took another loss: Before they even hit the track as members of a 4x100 meter relay team, they were replaced by two white runners with slower times. Despite the setbacks, however, Pickett persevered. Four years later, in '36, at the Summer Games in Berlin, Pickett did become the first Black woman to compete for the U.S. 

Althea Gibson

Imagine being the first Black player to win a Grand Slam—while holding the ATA's women's singles championship title for 10 consecutive years—and still being denied a hotel room. Or being told by the staff at Chicago's Ambassador East Hotel that they would not host a luncheon in honor of your tournament win due to your skin color. That was the reality for South Carolina native Althea Gibson, even after the decorated athlete—known for her gender-defying cropped haircut—dominated the white world of tennis and, later, golf. Even with all her accolades, Gibson struggled to earn income from her championship status, writing in her 1968 autobiography, So Much to Live For, "Being a champ is all well and good, but you can't eat a crown."

Wilma Rudolph (left) and Althea Gibson (right)

Wilma Rudolph 

Wilma Rudolph had a rough start to life: As a child, she was paralyzed by polio, contracted both scarlet fever and double pneumonia, and was told by doctors she would never walk again. She defied those odds and became one of the most decorated and well-known female athletes of her day and arguably one of the most famous Black female athletes of all time. At age 16, Rudolph made her Olympic debut at the 1956 Melbourne Games, taking home the bronze medal with her teammates in the 4x100 meter relay. At the following 1960 Games in Rome, she took home the gold in the 100 meter, 200 meter, and 4x100 meter relays and broke three world records—all with her perfectly coiffed pixie cut in place. 

Dominique Dawes

In 1988, Dominique Dawes became the first African American to make the national women's artistic gymnastics team and joined the U.S. Olympic team that took home the bronze in Barcelona in 1992. Two years later, at the 1994 National Championships, she won all-around gold and all four individual events (vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise), becoming the first gymnast to win all five gold medals since 1969. But it was the 1996 U.S. Olympics that made Dawes a household name and Black sports icon. (Especially for a little girl like me sitting in front of the television, watching her every move and trying to re-create it at home on a fake balance beam.) The "Magnificent Seven," as they were affectionately nicknamed, became the first U.S. women's gymnastics team to win the gold in Olympic history. 

"As gymnasts, we are not concerned about our hair," Dawes told Curly Nikki. "If you look back at videos of myself at the Olympics, you'll see I wasn't so concerned with how I looked, and if I had [been], I may have never made it to the Olympic games. My focus wasn't on appearance. It was an achievement." Regardless, her perfectly placed doughnut bun and fluffy bangs were a part of my daily beauty routine—and that of many other Black girls—after watching her during the Olympic games. I ruined tons of socks by cutting the tops off and rolling them into a perfect "o," combing my relaxed hair around it, and securing it with a rubber band while my bangs set in a pink sponge roller. 

Florence Griffith Joyner (Aka "Flo-Jo") 

Florence "Flo-Jo" Griffith Joyner made her mark as athletic as an Olympic gold medal sprinter, setting world records in the 100-meter and 200-meter events. At the 1988 U.S. Olympic trials, she ran the 100-meter dash in 10.49 seconds—wiping out the 10.79 set by Evelyn Ashford and even beating the men's records in countries like Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, and Turkey. As prolific as she was on the track (consistently shaving seconds off her already newsworthy and often-questioned times), Joyner's style made her a pop culture and style icon. Her attire on the track included formfitting bodysuits adorned with hoods and one-leg cutouts, hands decorated with six-inch fingernails, and flowing hair. 

Venus Williams 

Venus Williams, tennis champion and founder of EleVen by Venus, made her mark on the beauty zeitgeist when she and her little sister (and fellow tennis legend) descended on the U.S. Open at New York City's Arthur Ashe Stadium with braids adorned with white beads—a hairstyle never seen in tennis. Along with her influence in fashion and beauty, Williams has championed equal pay for female athletes. In 2005, the day before winning Wimbledon, she spoke to a room full of tennis executives about why men and women should be rewarded equal prize money. The prestigious club raised the prize money for women for the following year but still did not match men's winnings. So on the opening day of the 2006 tournament, Williams published an op-ed in The Times of London titled "Wimbledon Has Sent Me A Message: I'm Only a Second-Class Champion." Shortly after this public callout, equal prize money was awarded across genders. 

Serena Williams (left) and Venus Williams (right)

Serena Williams 

In 1999, Serena Williams became the first Black woman to win a Grand Slam tournament since Althea Gibson in the late 1950s, and she went on to win 23 total. (The second most of any woman.) Much like Flo-Jo, Williams is known for breaking athletic records and style rules. In 2018, French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli banned the black catsuit Wiliams wore during the French Open. But the catsuit, which featured a red waistband, wasn't just about fashion–it was also about health. "I've had a lot of problems with my blood clots," she told reporters at the French Open. "I don't know how many I've had in the past 12 months. I've been wearing pants in general a lot when I play [to] keep the blood circulation."

Laila Ali 

Laila Ali might be the daughter of boxing and Civil Rights Movement icon Muhammad, but she's a legend in her own right, too: She retired from her eight-year career undefeated. As is often the case with athletes, Ali has more than one interest, one of which happens to be beauty. "I've always been into hair, skin, and makeup, so much so that I actually went to cosmetology school when I was 16 years old," she told Teen Vogue. "It was a great experience. It allowed me to not only learn about different products and their ingredients but also test and use products so I could get a sense for myself of what I liked and didn't like and what worked well or not so well for me."

Ibtihaj Muhammad (left) and Laila Ali (right)

Ibtihaj Muhammad

Ibtihaj Muhammad was a three-time All-American athlete in fencing at Duke University, earning degrees in International Relations and African Studies. However, her post-graduation plans weren't linear, and after graduating, she took a job as a clerk at a local dollar store. But a visit with her former high school fencing coach set her on her way to resuming her athletic career.

As she trained, she went from ranking 113th in the 2007–2008 season to earning a spot on the U.S. national fencing team in 2010. In 2016, she became the first American to wear a hijab in the Olympics, helping the U.S. Olympic team win the bronze medal in saber fencing and placing 12th in her individual competition. Two years later, Mattel released a Barbie doll in Muhammad's likeness as part of its "Shero" line, a first for the brand and a marker of progress for inclusive representation. 

Sha'Carri Richardson 

Sha'Carri Richardson burst onto the world sports stage with flaming orange hair and an undeniable style, boasting long colorful nails and tattoos. She broke records in the 100-meter sprint with a time of 10.75, besting Marlies Göhr's 42-year-old mark, and in the 200-meter sprint, surpassing the record Allyson Felix set at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. As she went pro, she became America's sports darling for a few months, but the tides swiftly turned when she was disqualified from the Olympic trials following a positive urine test for THC. She was reprimanded with a 30-day suspension, which ruled her out of the individual 100-meter event at Tokyo 2020 and left her off the U.S. women's 4x100 meter relay team. But as with any good story with a protagonist you're rooting for, Richardson made a triumphant comeback, winning the 100-meter dash at the 2023 USATF Championships with a time of 10.82 seconds. 

At the 2023 Prefontaine Classic, she switched it up again, this time wearing her natural hair to compete in the 100-meter dash. When asked by reporters why she chose to wear her natural hair, she responded, "I told [my coach] that if I go 10.6 [seconds in the 100m dash], I'll wear my natural hair." She stayed true to her word as she finished first in the women's 100-meter dash, running a 10.65 at the World Track and Field Championships in Budapest (and becoming a world champion). "When I became the world champion and set a championship record, I ran a 10.65," she said. "So, I had to pull out the natural."