The somersaults, tumbles, flips, dips, and stuck landings at the U.S.
Gymnastics Championships this past June set off a deluge of gifs, video-embedded tweets, and TikToks.
She placed it, rather unfussily, at the base of Miller’s high bun.
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It’s easy to understand why this simple action went viral.
These gymnasts routinely perform feats that many of us couldn’t even begin to imagine executing.
But tying a bow into someone else’s hair?
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These (rather practical) regulations are meant to optimize the performance of any professional gymnast on the mat.
Chiles says that she and her older sister, Jazmin, typically go to Pinterest for competition hair inspiration.
“This is my body.
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This is not your body.
This is my hair.
It’s not your hair.
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I should be able to do whatever I want with it because it’s mine,” she says.
But when it’s time to compete, Rivers has to reconsider her favorite style.
“It’s hard [to] have a hairstyle that’s too heavy,” she explains.
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“Now, I love working with my natural hair,” she says.
Not all Black gymnasts rely on a robust community of peers to help them with their hair choices.
Normally, Wilson wears box braids, which she tugs back into a tight bun for competition.
These days, she’s been partial to styling her blown-out hair in shorter twists.
She typically secures them with a ribbon that complements her team’s leotard.
Practicality and maintenance are two major factors Wilson considers when she’s choosing a hairstyle.
“Other gymnasts can just wash their hair and put it up in a ponytail.
Wilson’s mother sometimes offers to help style the hair of other teammates who wear theirs natural, too.
If it’s red and black, then red or glitter.”
She’s also experimented with hair-color for competitions.
“My sophomore year, I did my hair in two puffs.
I sprayed my hair pink, which I thought was pretty cute.”
“There’s not a lot of us and we stand out a lot more.”
And it seems this tradition has carried on for Black gymnasts, too.
More world-class athletes with that top-tier beauty game:
Now, watch Sassie Baby’s entire routine:
