If  you, like me, have been watching the 2024 summer Olympics, you probably can’t help but be amazed by the incredible feats that US gymnast Simone Biles has achieved this week.

Regardless of whether you’re American, Canadian like me, or from anywhere else in the world, it’s hard to deny that Biles is a veritable powerhouse. At 27 years old, she’s won 9 Olympic medals, including golds in both team and all-around individual gymnastics this year, and 30 world championship medals, making her the most decorated gymnast in history. With multiple tricks named after her, including dazzling flips and tumbles and combinations that no other woman in the world has ever landed in competition, Biles has broken new ground and is, deservedly, recognized as the ultimate GOAT of gymnastics.

What’s more, Biles has been an activist for mental health causes, has spoken up against abuse in gymnastics, and has advocated for body positivity. Her hero status to young women, athletes, and people the world over was earned through her tenacity and fortitude both in and out of the gym. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by in 2022, the youngest person to ever receive the award.

And oh, did I mention, Biles is 4’8″? Even for gymnastics, where petites are common, that’s short.

While 4’8″ makes her very petite, Simone Biles doesn’t have the “traditional” gymnast’s body. Powerful and muscular, Biles didn’t just challenge the stereotype of the lithe young gymnasts who came before her, she basically threw it out the window. She turned her body into a serious competitive advantage, using it to break new ground and change the face of women’s gymnastics forever. Now, many of the next generation of female gymnasts aspire to be like Simone, working tirelessly in the gym to achieve those powerful muscles that allow her to spring higher and leap further in the air than anyone who ever came before her.

Simone on body positivity

In 2017, Biles did an interview with UK magazine The Gentlewoman, in which she said:

“I have been criticised for my body, but if I didn’t have this build, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. Everyone wants this prototype of a skinny girl with the perfect butt and legs. I just don’t get it. It’s not Build-A-Girl. We are all built differently and we all know that there are elements of what we do that are influenced by our body type. We understand that and learn how to substitute for it. If you are more muscular, you have to work on elegance a bit more. If you are long and elegant, you have to work on your power a little more.”

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Simone Biles has broken the mould in more ways than one. Looking at the 2024 roster of women’s gymnastics competitors, particularly the top-ranked world gymnasts, and you’ll see a very different picture than in past Olympics: Fewer 14- and 15-year-olds who look pre-pubescent; more powerful and muscular women in their 20s who are achieving things previously thought to be impossible. In particular, Brazilian silver medalist Rebeca Andrade looks to Biles as her hero and her inspiration. The 25-year-old 4’11” Andrade is also petite, though look how she appears to tower over Biles at 4’8″:

Simone on fashion

While Simone Biles usually competes in sparkly leotards, her style outside the gym has a lot more room for fun and creativity. After many years of admitting she never followed fashion much while being immersed in the world of competition, Simone has expanded her sense of style in her late 20s to include more fun, playful, and powerful statement choices.

In 2017 in the Gentlewoman interview, she expressed some frustration about shopping, stating that:

“I can’t wear certain things because of how my body is shaped. I haven’t found a specific brand that fits my entire body, but certain places fit me better than others, more than actual brands, so I’m always on the hunt.”

Since then, however, we’ve clearly seen that Biles has learned to relax, break the rules a bit, and have more fun with fashion. As she has been more in the public eye and is often photographed in her street style, Biles has greatly expanded her confidence with style. She shares photos on her Instagram account, which has over 10 million followers, including pictures of her outfits and her shopping trips. Biles clearly loves to shop, showing off unique outfits that have turned her into a style icon:

In 2023, she partnered with Athleta to launch a line for Athleta Girl, their kids’ division. At 4’8″, she’s able to wear some of the pieces herself, though so far her line hasn’t been expanded to include adults. It’s worth noting that Athleta is one of the few activewear brands that does carry petites, though:

She’s been featured on the cover of Vanity Fair, has been featured in Vogue, and just this year, she even starred in a four-episode documentary about her life on Netflix. Clearly, Simone Biles is everywhere, and not just in sparkly leotards either. She’s proving that fashion is as much for people who are 4’8″ as for those who are 6 feet tall:

She got married last year to spouse NFL player Jonathan Owens, in a courthouse ceremony in Texas followed by a destination wedding in Mexico. Her gorgeous wedding gowns – not one, but four different gowns worn across the events, were by designer Galia Lahav, and photographed for Vogue.

Watch her at her wedding dress fitting, with behind-the-scenes video shared on Instagram here. In it, she explains how she was initially afraid to wear a ball gown because she’s so petite, but working with Lahav, she got her dream gowns designed perfectly to fit, and on her big day, she looked stunning.

Powerful petite style: How Simone does it

Simone Biles’s fashion has evolved and expanded as she has become more confident in her role as a style icon. While she doesn’t follow any hard-fast rules of fashion, we can see certain patterns in her clothing choices that give some clues as to her approach:

• She pairs cropped items with longer lines. High waisted pants, tall knee-high boots, and cropped tops that reveal some skin are favourite looks of hers to create longer lines on her bottom half.
• She wears skirts and dresses with high slits. Proving that you’re never too short to pull off a midi skirt or dress, Biles shows how it’s done: Use a high side slit to show some leg if you dare, and pair it with a crop top to visually elongate your legs and keep everything in proportion.
  
• She uses pointed toes to elongate her legs. We see this time and again from Simone, who loves shoes and boots with pointy toes paired with more oversized pieces on her top half. Here she is in a statement pair of green boots, paired with a crop top, leggings, and football jacket from hubby Jonathan Owens’ team.

• She combines one oversized item with cropped or tighter silhouettes. Oversized pieces — and, let’s face it, most items from regular stores will be oversized on someone who is 4’8″ — can quickly swallow and overwhelm a petite frame. Biles doesn’t shy away from wearing them, but we often see her choosing just one oversized item and pairing it with tighter and more cropped pieces for contrast.
• She isn’t afraid to take risks. This applies both in competition and with fashion. Simone Biles never let anyone tell her what she could or couldn’t do in the gym, so why would she do that outside of it? She often takes fashion risks, pulling off oversized jackets, bold prints, and pieces that clearly aren’t scaled for her body… but she makes them work anyway.

After all, Simone Biles has spent her whole life proving that the impossible is possible. At 4’8″, she stands tall above all the naysayers and has taken the world by storm. She is an inspiration not only to petite women, but to people all over the world.