The Beauty Double Standard for Women Olympians

In the past week alone, the Olympics has shown us how women athletes are still scrutinized and judged for their appearances, overshadowing their remarkable achievements.

Women Olympians are expected to perform astonishing physical feats—tossing and turning, running hurdles, flipping through the air, or tossing a discus—with not a hair out of place. This paradox of expecting athletes to maintain beauty pageantry standards while pushing their bodies to the limits highlights a deep-rooted issue in how society views female athletes.

But shockingly, this past week, all of this happened.