There’s an old saying about how important it is to make a first impression. That statement rings true in gymnastics as well. A part of the sport that sets it apart from the others is the visual appearance. The appearance has three parts: the skills gymnasts compete, the leotard they wear, and the hair.
The hairstyles used to be simple: a ponytail put back just enough to keep your hair out of your face when you did a routine. As time passed, the ponytails turned into a ponytail with a braid, a super straight ponytail, or the slicked back ponytail. The Beijing Olympics welcomed in the poof era thanks to gymnasts like Nastia Liukin. Poofs were then transformed into buns and now those buns have evolved into many different forms: space buns, messy buns, ballerina buns, or even the famous bun-mohawk.
But for gymnasts, the hairstyles have a whole lot more than just bobby pins and rubber bands behind them.
Many gymnasts spend their club days having someone do their hair. Once a gymnast transitions to college, the hairstyle becomes an opportunity for many gymnasts to express themselves. There’s more freedom—as long as the styles stay within team guidelines—to do or add whatever they want. Hair paint, glitter, and bows are some of the biggest trends, and as gymnasts…
