From the UK Guradian, "Sanya Richards-Ross intimidates Olympic rivals with the goddess look
Can the American sprinter match her Chanel gold double-C earrings with double gold victory on the track?" by Jess Cartner-Morley, on 8 August 2012 -- The peacockery that goes on in the minutes before the athletes hunker down for their races is not just a compelling element of the spectator experience of these Olympics. It is a pre-match press conference, wordless but full of clear messages. It is a part of the contest itself.
The swimmers emerge in their capes, bobbing mutely to their iPods: pure Rocky. Usain Bolt clowns around, doing a faultless impression of a competitor who isn't really focussed on the race. And then, when the gun starts, it turns out that he was just messing with our heads. Of the female sprinters, one has proved herself a champion of both the track and the starting block mind-games: Sanya Richards-Ross, winner of her 400m race and contender for tonight's 200m.
Richards-Ross emerged onto the track for that race with a look designed to both confuse and intimidate. While other runners wear ponytails or plaits - one would assume this is more practical - Richards-Ross had only the top few inches of her hair in braids, so that the rest of it tumbled in golden waves. As the TV cameras watched, she put her hands up to her hair, and it seemed for a moment she meant to tie it back - but no, she was merely fanning it out over her shoulders, the better to show off both her gleaming curls, and the large double-C gold Chanel earrings she wore. The message to her women in the other lanes was crystal clear: you may be athletes, but I am a goddess.
It was a masterclass in sporting intimidation, but also a positive statement of self-belief from an athlete who has shaken off persistent health problems to realise her potential during this Games. Lustrous hair is a signal of health and vitality; showing it off on race day sent a clear message that she believed herself to be in fine health.
Many athletes wear sentimental or lucky jewellery, Richards-Ross included: she wears around her neck a bullet her mother gave her as a schoolgirl athlete (as in: faster than a speeding bullet, apparently.) The Chanel earrings she wore to race in are more unusual, a worldly choice that made her look like she might be about to take to the stage for an arena tour, rather than run around the track. And since bling has always been a very competitive aesthetic, they only add to the aura of a woman rising to a challenge.
And then there are the clothes. Specifically, the arm-warmer sleeves, which - besides whatever physiological function they perform - serve to showcase and highlight the incredible musculature of Richards-Ross's arms and shoulders. (Many people noticed this - including, it seemed, the camera operator, who kept the lens trained on Richards-Ross for a disproportionate time.) They also look reminiscent of knee-high socks, lending a cheerleader-ish note to the outfit which will not have passed unnoticed by the runner, who is married to an NBA athlete. The sleeves add to the sense that this could be a stage get-up - Rihanna meets Britney - which in turn, helps frame the race as being the Richards-Ross show. (source: UK Guardian)
