“Play your best, look your best” – this motto is trending across the U.S. in all sports and this week took hold of the Meridian Varsity Girls Soccer team.
Since sports became a major part of culture and heritage within small communities all the way up to national pride, fans have found ways to show their support for their team by adorning themselves in makeup, hair spray, and anything else they could find that fit the colors for their team.
Now with the bounding lengths women have taken to be allowed the expression of their feminism during sports, instead being forced to choose athleticism or feminism, female athletes have taken off with innovative ways to represent their identity beyond an athlete onto the field.
“Hair is becoming a symbol in sports, something to be shown off rather than hidden…in events such as track and tennis, hairstyles have become a highly anticipated and defining element of athletes’ public personas,” writes Monica Williams, an author for The Lock In.
Hair dye, intricate braids, hair ribbons, and glitter are just a few of the ways women have been altering their appearance on the field. Social media has become filled with tutorials and “inspo” pages of different gameday hairstyles athletes are using in their play.
8th grader and member of the Girls Varsity Soccer team, Dhyuti Sake, shared; “I find my game day hairstyle on pinterest or I play with my hair until something works.”
Although “look your best, play your best” has mostly impacted women’s sports, men’s sports are not far behind. For men, bleaching and shaving complex patterns is their equivalent to game prep. Even the black paint under athlete’s eyes to protect from the sun has transformed into a form of self expression as all sorts of shapes and designs are replacing the original stripe.
“Athletes wear it as a badge of honor, signifying their readiness to give their all on the field. From football to softball, you’ll find athletes of all levels sporting eye black as a testament to their commitment,” Amelia Smith, writer for Medium remarks. “Some athletes opt for geometric patterns, tribal designs, or intricate symbols that hold personal meaning. Others… to pay tribute to loved ones, showcase team spirit, or even make powerful statements about social issues.”
However, there is another motive behind the new look of athletes; superstition. In high schools across the U.S teams often do matching hairstyles once reaching playoffs. The idea: look alike, play alike, and win.
Now, with the Meridian Varsity girls soccer team into the second round of playoffs on Wednesday April 22nd at Founders Leander. The young girls have started participating in the trend, arriving at their first playoff game with matching braids and streaks of red and silver glitter.
