Sydney Leroux applauded Angel City FC’s hiring of Black stylists for its media day.
The Angel City FC forward called the availability of Black hair and makeup artists “an absolute necessity for 2023” in her Instagram story, as highlighted by soccer writer Tamerra Griffin. Leroux also posted a photo of her teammate Simone Charley getting her hair done by a Black stylist.
“The importance of having black hair/makeup artists at shoots and events is KEY and should be an absolute necessity in 2023,” she wrote. “Thank you Angel City.”
important NWSL Media Day detail: black players getting done up by black hairstylists and makeup artists, which reminds me of what Crystal Dunn said in 2021 about that not being the case on the USWNT pic.twitter.com/6gCH2qJVYv
— Tamerra Griffin (@tamerra_nikol) March 14, 2023
Júlia Belas, who writes about women’s soccer for The Guardian, agreed with Leroux that such inclusivity is “so important.”
“Had a TV thing (with hair and makeup) a couple of years ago and paid to braid my hair beforehand because no way I’d just let someone I didn’t know take care of it. Simone’s face says it all,” she wrote on Twitter.
Women’s soccer players have discussed the lack of behind-the-scenes representation and support for players of color in the past. For example, U.S. women’s national team defender Crystal Dunn pointed out the lack of resources available to Black players such as herself during photo shoots, as not every stylist understands how to work with Black skin and hair.
“Whenever there was a photo shoot, it was always a struggle for me to feel comfortable speaking to someone who’s doing my hair and makeup, which is something a lot of my teammates don’t understand,” Dunn told Andscape in 2021. “They take it for granted that they just get set up with someone who does their hair and makeup.”
