Simone Biles Stars in SK-II’s #NoCompetition Campaign

Laura Pitcher
Updated ·3 min read

Five-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles doesn’t shy away from a bit of competition. At just 22 years old, she owns the most world medals in U.S. history and the most world championship gold medals of any female gymnast. She is, however, growing increasingly tired of “the one competition that no one signed up for” and that’s unrealistic beauty standards.

Joining other highly esteemed athletes (like Liu Xiang, Ishikawa Kasumi, Ayaka Takahashi, Misaki Matsutomo, Mahina Maeda, and the Hinotori Nippon Japan Volleyball team), Simone is using her platform to call out toxic competitiveness in beauty with SK-II’s latest campaign, titled #NoCompetition, which was released at the 2020 MAKERS Conference by the esteemed beauty brand, which happens to be a worldwide partner of the International Olympic Committee.

“It doesn't matter how good I am, it's about what I look like at the end of the day," Simone told Teen Vogue exclusively. "And I think that's really tough for people to get across. Our hope is to inspire women to do what they want to do without worrying about what they look like.”

For Simone, this means unpacking the pressures of artistic gymnastics. Often viewed as a women’s sport, she explains how the competitions carry a certain expectation of beauty standards that predominantly male sports don’t face. “In the sport of gymnastics, it all depends on how good we are. But at the end of the day, it is seen as a beauty competition: who’s the cutest, who’s the prettiest,” she says. This, explains Simone, has been a pressure that she’s worked on as she’s grown older. “I’ve realized it really doesn’t matter what you look like. It’s about who you are and how you compete. I think it’s gotten better and easier, but it definitely can be difficult.”

Simone feels at her best when she’s “not stressed out,” spending time with her friends at her house with no makeup on. Yet she also feels proud when putting on her leotard and makeup to compete. “That’s one of my favorite parts of competing — my leo and my makeup,” she says. “Because it adds just a little bit extra personality, and they get to see who you are, with how you do your makeup and how you present yourself.”

By viewing makeup as a way to express her style, Simone has also reclaimed the pressures of the sport as something to suit her as an individual, rather than viewing other athletes as people to visually compete with. So, before a big competition, you’ll find her with a face mask on. “I just like to relax, take a bath, and do my skin-care routine,” she says. “Just put on some moisturizer, the SK-II Pitera Essence.” With a bunch of favorite products, it can sometimes make her suitcase overweight. This, she says, is the hardest part of sticking to a routine while traveling the world.

At her young age, and with all her Olympic medals under her belt, Simone has mastered the art of leaving beauty out of the competitiveness that drives her success, and she’s done all this while navigating her extremely large Instagram following. We do not doubt that the #NoCompetition campaign won’t be the last time that the sports superstar uses her platform to empower women to leave the competition on the gymnastics floor.

Check out SK-II’s full #NoCompetition campaign below:

<cite class="credit">Courtesy of the brand.</cite>
Courtesy of the brand.
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Courtesy of the brand.
<cite class="credit">Courtesy of the brand.</cite>
Courtesy of the brand.
<cite class="credit">Courtesy of the brand.</cite>
Courtesy of the brand.
<cite class="credit">Courtesy of the brand.</cite>
Courtesy of the brand.
<cite class="credit">Courtesy of the brand.</cite>
Courtesy of the brand.

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Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue