Do Girls Have To Wear Makeup While Playing Hockey

Shannon Rowbury will be easy to spot when she takes her mark for the 1,500 meters in Rio. She'll be the i wearing bright scarlet lipstick.

The color is striking at first. Why would a two-time Olympian article of clothing makeup to run iv laps effectually a track? She'south not the simply one. Many female athletes on Team USA glam up their uniform.

You can exist a strong, athletic, mettlesome woman and you can wear lipstick.

U.S. women'south soccer player Ali Krieger calls her mascara "state of war paint." U.Due south. gymnastics captain Aly Raisman says a bear upon of eyeliner gives her confidence. Rowbury wears a hot pink or deep ruddy lip to honor her late grandmother.

No thing the personal reason, there's i mutual theme each adult female shares when it comes to putting on their face for the Olympics: self-expression.

"You can exist a strong, able-bodied, courageous woman and you can wearable lipstick," Rowbury said. "I like being able to be all those things or try to help inspire young women to exist all those things. It doesn't have to exist one or the other. It's a form of expression, particularly in track and field where my compatible is provided by my sponsor (or the USOC). I basically have my uniform and my shoes and there's not a lot of expression that'south allowed and at that place aren't many ways to show your personality.

"I like that lipstick is a way that won't backbite from my performance and it puts me in my happy place before I starting time the race."

Added Raisman: "I think it's kind of cool to have that sort of badass feeling that yous're doing your sport and you're really strong and powerful, just at the aforementioned time, you lot tin can feel actually feminine and cute. I think for me, having that combination is what makes me feel really confident."

Michael Chow-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Chow-U.s. TODAY Sports

Women have been bringing style to the Olympics and sports in general for years. Figure skater and gilded medalist Dorothy Hamill sparked a hairstyle movement with her bob at the 1976 Winter Olympics. Golden medalist and world-record sprinter Florence Joyner had those form-fitting bodysuits and vi-inch fingernails. Serena Williams has her ain clothing line.

And men practice information technology too. Russell Westbrook's before-and-after game fashion has become an NBA staple, and Paul Pogba has a unlike crazy hairstyle near every game.

I think information technology's kind of cool to have that sort of bad ass feeling that you're doing your sport and you lot're actually strong and powerful, just at the same time, you lot tin feel really feminine and cute.

Women are held to a different standard, though, and many have fought dorsum confronting those who suggest they should expect "pretty" while competing. Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson is speaking out about how commentators talk over women — including in this interview with For The Win — and an NBC announcer offended millions during the Sochi Olympics past discussing makeup worn by downhill skiers — some of the fiercest and virtually courageous athletes at the games.

Rowbury, Krieger and Raisman don't view wearing makeup as succumbing to public pressure.

"It's kind of this look proficient, feel good, play good mentality," Krieger said. "I exercise feel empowered, I practice feel adept. Mainly I think it'southward because our games are on TV and people run across photos or videos of themselves. I think I would do this for any other job, and so why non do it when I play soccer? Because information technology is my job."

Krieger guesses she started wearing makeup during games afterward the 2011 World Cup which coincided with the rise of social media. She doesn't wear it for practice, merely she and some USWNT teammates put information technology on before important games.

"If I'thousand rooming with a teammate who besides wears makeup, we'll get ready at the aforementioned time, turn on some music and go far our game mean solar day way together," Krieger said, comparing information technology to getting ready to go out on a Saturday night.

"I'm going to work and I want to look expert," she connected. "Yous're non only representing yourself, but U.S. Soccer."

Rowbury isn't a daily makeup person, usually just wearing it for dinner dates with her husband. Just when she was younger, the two-fourth dimension USA Outdoor i,500 meter champion would pilfer through grandma Nonie's drawers at their house in San Francisco and dress up in her costume jewelry, gloves, scarves and of course, makeup. Nonie loved pinkish, Rowbury says. Pink lipstick and chroma that she paired with blue centre shadow.

"She was just such a sweet woman and for me, she represents unconditional dear and was someone who was extremely tough just also had a very feminine side," Rowbury said. "And I honey the fact that women today are allowed to be more but one affair or another. Putting on the lipstick is a whole series of memories and of import concepts and ideas for me."

Shannon Rowbury wears hot pink lipstick during the 1500m semifinals in the 2016 U.S. Olympic track and field team trials. [Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports]

Nonie was also the 1 who convinced Rowbury to become agile as a kid. First, information technology was dancing in kindergarten. Running came later in loftier school. When Nonie died in 2011, Rowbury wanted to honor her through sport. So a few years later at a encounter in Paris, she wore lipstick like grandma.

That race was where Rowbury start broke four minutes in the one,500-meters, clocking a personal record 3:59:49.

"My grandma was of the generation where you got dressed up for important events and in my life there's not much that'southward more of import than getting to get out and represent my family and my country in these races," Rowbury said. "It's a nice style for me to kind of keep her memory alive."

Now buying lipstick has go a hobby for Rowbury, who is thinking of wearing Chanel'southward classic "Cerise Pirate" in Rio.

Makeup ismore mutual in gymnastics than track and field or soccer since it's a operation sport, but Raisman doesn't get overboard. The three-time Olympic medalist used to wearable blue heart shadow to friction match her leotard when she was 12 but now just puts a footling bit of blue liner in the corner of her eyes.

"It's a patriotic touch and makes me feel confident knowing I'm representing United states of america," she said. "And it'due south kind of a fun, relaxing thing. It makes me feel calm and it's a distraction before the competition."

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Hanashiro-U.s. TODAY Sports

Raisman said during the 2012 London Olympics, the "Fierce V" got ready together in each other'south rooms in the Olympic Village, bonding over hair buns and makeup.

"We had one bathroom for five of u.s.a. to share," Raisman said. "We got mirrors in our rooms and I recall we all did it in my room and we borrowed each other'due south makeup, which is kind of gross, but at the same fourth dimension yous don't really care. Information technology's the Olympics and so you might also."

Krieger and Raisman say almost of the feedback they've received from fans on social media has been positive. It'due south usually young girls wanting to know how they do it or where to buy information technology. But Rowbury receives backlash from time to time for her lipstick.

She doesn't care.

"Information technology's of import to open people's eyes to the fact that you can be an athlete and withal be into fashion," Rowbury said. "I recall before the two were considered mutually sectional or something. But that's definitely not the case."