Getting to the Olympics and becoming the most accomplished gymnast in history is hard. Simone Biles did just that. She is now regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time after winning seven gold medals across two Olympic Games. She also has two silver and two bronze medals, as well as 23 World Championship titles.
It took a great amount of effort, hard work, and thousands of mistakes for her to get there, as it does for many athletes. She also overcame hardships uniquely faced by women.
She’s past all that. She has reached the top. However, there’s still one thing she finds challenging—being a public figure.
Biles is often invited to many public functions where cameras and video crews await her. For these events, she is expected to glam up, something she now refuses to normalize. She took to the social media app TikTok to express how much she detests having to spend a significant amount of money just to look good.
Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
She shared that she once spent $23,000 on a red carpet event, which she did not identify. She was surprised by how expensive it was. In the end, she said she would rather not attend such events than be forced to spend that much money.
“If that’s the new norm, you can have it,” she said. “Y’all will never see me at another event.”
Biles, a women's rights and mental wellness advocate, received offers from stylists and make up artists after her complaint but her post just started conversation about how hard it is to be a public figure and a woman.
"This isn’t tone deaf at all when people are struggling with basic necessities like food and healthcare," one commenter said.
"She’s absolutely correct. $22k for one-day glam team is absolutely bonkers insane."
"I think this video is for me I’m all of those things," another user said.
"This is a new recession indicator," wrote another.
