How Black WNBA Players Are Challenging Current Beauty Standards

2024 has seen a mass celebration of the powerhouse athletes of the WNBA . From Angel Reese and Kysre Gondrezick to Rickea Jackson and Dana Evans, the girlies have been showing out and the internet is taking major notice.

From their runway-ready tunnel ‘fits to their in-game glam that defies the laws of science (a full beat for four quarters?), these women are not just breaking ankles and necks with their tenacity, but also with their unique blend of athleticism and aesthetics. And the internet is loving it.

The palpable love can be seen on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, where fans wait with bated breath to see what A’ja Wilson will wear before flirting with a career-best game.

These world-class athletes are not only getting their due credit for their athleticism but their aesthetic achievements as well — a phenomenon that was relatively foreign to the world of women’s sports.

For years, a reductive, misogynistic thought process has dominated the conversation surrounding women in sports. Athleticism and attractiveness were seen as mutually exclusive when it came to women, a complete 180 from how high-performing physicality is viewed in men versus women.

Any modicum of athletic excellence, height and stature were dubbed as “manly” or “undesirable.” This has led many women to steer away from anything that may put them in a similar category as we’ve seen with the collective fear in gym-going women of appearing “bulky” and the emphasis placed on slimming and toning exercises that promise a more slender appearance.

This of course creates an impossible conundrum for women to have toned muscles that aren’t too big but still look defined. But, make sure you don’t look too masculine but you also don’t want to be too skinny, lest you face the risk of appearing “gaunt.” It’s ridiculous, confusing and on a base level downright illogical.

Women are not any less feminine or desirable for their physical prowesses, and as the wonderful women of the WNBA have been showing with esteemed regularity, their capabilities as athletes only enhance their allure and it’s about time the rest of the world caught on.

In exploring what it means to celebrate these women for their on-court dominance and pre-game look, we’re doing more than just giving these ladies their flowers. We are empowering generations of young sports fans and rewriting the playbook on what femininity looks, sounds and plays like. Swish!