Simone Biles isn't afraid of a little competition, but she took to Instagram to let us know one contest we can leave her out of. On Wednesday, the Olympian said she was tired of being placed in a national beauty competition based on societal standards.
In her Instagram post, the 22-year-old said she never signed up for a beauty competition despite the unwarranted comments on her physique.
"Let's talk about competition," she said. "Specifically, the competition I didn't sign up for and feel like has become almost a daily challenge for me. And I do not think I'm the only one."
The decorated gymnast shared her thoughts on people who pivot their focus on obscured views of beauty which she says has "nothing to do with the performance itself."
"I don't know why but others feel as though they can define your own beauty based on their standards," she said.
In 2016, Biles captivated audiences as she led the U.S. women's gymnastics team in receiving a gold medal. That same year, she won the women's individual all-around gold medal alongside her teammate Aly Raisman who took home the silver medal. Despite her achievements since grabbing the nation's attention, she said the comments about her appearance have "gotten [her] down at times."
"I've learned to put on a strong front and let most of it slide. But I'd be lying if I told you that what people say about my arms, my legs, my body…of how I look like in a dress, leotard, bathing suit or even in casual pants hasn't gotten me down at times," she continued.
The Ohio native said she's "tired of everything in life being turned into competition" and is "standing up for [herself] and for everyone else that has gone through the same."
"Today, I say I am done competing VS. beauty standards and the toxic culture of trolling when others feel as though their expectations are not met…because nobody should tell you or I what beauty should or should not look like," she added.
In her post, Biles added #NOCOMPETITION which is a global campaign led by skincare company SK-II. According to Vogue, the campaign is targeted toward women, inspiring them to live by their personal definitions of beauty.
During an interview with the magazine, Biles said it can be challenging for her to ignore the scrutiny she receives.
“I’ve been dealing with scrutiny my whole life. I had to go through puberty in the public eye. It’s hard and social media doesn’t make it any better, but I think the campaign will help us as women to speak up about toxic beauty standards," she said. “There are times when I’ve gotten upset because I’m not what everyone likes to look at, but without my muscles, I wouldn’t be able to do gymnastics the way I do, so at the end of the day, I can’t be mad."
