In Netflix’s Sprint, world champion US athlete Sha’Carri Richardson shares the mantra behind her signature style. “I go by the saying, look good, feel good, do good. Who says you can’t be sexy on the track?” she says in the second episode of the series.
Richardson is one of the fastest women in the world, but when she’s racing, it’s not just her speed people pay attention to. It’s also her hair, nails, make-up – and that’s just how she likes it.
Sha’Carri Richardson on the podium at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.Credit: Getty Images
While Sprint shines a light on the rituals of 100- and 200-metre athletes that often include designer accessories and hairstyles, which take hours to bring to life, track and field is far from the only sport where looking good feels closely tied to performance.
Dr Kirsten Peterson has been a team sports psychologist at seven Olympic Games, working with athletes from Australia and the US. She agrees that physical expression – whether in the form of clothing, hairstyles or make-up – carries a lot of value.
To those of us who aren’t professional athletes, it can seem a little confusing that someone would spend so much time considering the way they look when they could be training. However, Peterson says that if an athlete is going to the effort of doing anything, there must be some kind of intentionality behind it. In other words, athletes competing at the Olympic level aren’t wasting time with anything they don’t genuinely believe will improve their performance.
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Of course, personal branding and marketing also come into play when it comes to making style a priority. Many athletes, including the most successful in their sports, become known for their fashion and beauty choices, which can pay off financially. David Beckham’s style has been a key part of his public persona since he started playing professionally. And earlier this year, Serena Williams released beauty line Wyn Beauty, with “high-performing” eye make-up, lipstick and skin tints.
According to mindset coach Ben Crowe, there are three different types of confidence: social confidence, performance confidence and self-confidence, which he says is often found through a two-step process of accepting your imperfections and believing that you’re worthy of being in the arena.
“From a self-confidence point of view, wearing clothing that makes you feel good about yourself and is the best representation of yourself in an intrinsic sense is really important,” says Crowe, who is known for his work with some of the world’s best athletes, including Ash Barty.
