In August, Dutch gymnast Celine van Gerner decided to match her makeup to the choreography of her floor routine for the floor final at the European Championships. She had dramatic eye makeup and added some stripes to her cheeks and forehead in order to resemble a cat since her routine was set to the music from “Cats”. van Gerner checked the code of points to see if this was allowed and it was, so she did not face any penalties.
The move drew a lot of controversy with some people saying that such makeup is distracting and others claiming it only enhances the artistry of van Gerner’s floor routine.
However, FIG seems to have a strong opinion on this and allowed types of makeup is certainly a very important issue that deserves their attention unlike such minor things as not providing a live stream for the qualifications at the World Championships, for example.
Celine van Gerner tweeted today that the FIG issued a new addition to the code regarding the makeup and from now on “Face painting is not allowed; any make-up must be modest and not portray a theatrical character (animal or human.” The new rule was illustrated with the photo of van Gerner from Euros.
Just came in from Doha. I’m honored to be the FIRST, LAST and ONLY ONE in history who went out on stage in full character! Feeling blessed ☺️🤩 #history #firstlastonlyone #gymnastics @DutchGymnastics pic.twitter.com/6I61UXKZnh
— Céline van Gerner (@celinevangerner) October 29, 2018
While van Gerner was the first one to wear this type of makeup, there is a long history of gymnasts decorating their bodies in various ways. Smoky eyes are basically a staple at gymnastics competitions. Elaborate hairdos with all sorts of hair ties are another example. Many WAG gymnasts also paint their nails to match the leotard. Brazil’s Danielle Hypolyto famously had Brazilian flag eye makeup in London-2012.
Aliya Mustafina wearing smoky eyes makeup and hair glitter.
Daniele Hypolito wearing Brazilian flag eye makeup.
While to some it might seem that most gymnasts just paint their eyes and maybe lips, there is a lot more that goes into makeup, with primers, foundation, contouring, concealer, blush, and powder. So, van Gerner was not wearing much more makeup in terms of the layers or the sheer amount of it on the face than most female gymnasts.
Male gymnasts generally prefer more permanent decorations for their bodies – either facial hair or tattoos, some of which make take up a whole body part. While I personally do not have a problem with either, I find it hypocritical of FIG to ban or limit the type of body decoration that is used by women while not caring about the type that is used predominantly by men (female gymnasts also have tattoos but I have yet to see an example of a full-limb tattoo on one).
Marcel Nguyen with a sleeve tattoo.
The choice of words that is used in the rule – “modest makeup” – is also pretty unfortunate. The word “modesty” has long been used by patriarchal cultures and establishments to police women’s bodies and behaviors and to keep women in the roles that are prescribed for them. The word is predominantly applied to women and not men. And even if we don’t focus on the term, what exactly IS modest makeup? Will FIG now institute rules for the color of the lipstick and the eyeshadow? Can this rule be applied at the judges’ discretion when they just don’t like someone’s face?
It’s very emblematic that the new rule was announced in Qatar, the place where the concept of modesty is frequently used to police females and where women still have limited rights compared to the men.
Photo: Gymania, Israeli Gymnastics Magazine
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FYI, the new rule is just a copy/paste from the Acro Code of Points.
I understand both sides of this. On the one hand, we want all gymnasts to have the right to wear whatever make up they want. (Can we all agree that we loved Celine’s make up?) On the other hand, FIG wants to make sure that women’s gymnastics doesn’t turn into a competition about who can paint their faces the best. They want to limit distractions so that the judging remains as fair as possible.
On the issue of tattoos, I think FIG DEFINITELY would have passed a rule already if there was a viable solution. You can’t just undo a tattoo. That’s why the code has no rules about covering tattoos, for either men or women.
Pretty Marta Pihan-Kulezsa performed her Pink Panther routine in a pink panther leotard and with pink hairspray on at least once at an FIG World Cup. Weird that they are suddenly bothered by these routines.
So true
Exactly this!