You Can Be Pretty and Kick Butt in Sports
by Feona Sharhran Huff

Who says that if you're a female athletes, you can't be beautiful and successful at the same time? Not super sports figures, including tennis talents VENUS and SERENA WILLIAMS, WNBA All-Star LISA LESLIE, and boxing champ LAILA ALI. They can have their cake and eat it too, so to speak...

Swingin' Sister Style

The tennis league, its spectators, and critics are quite aware the Williams sisters who love to flaunt their cutting-edge styles -- check Serena's latest blond braids, for instance.

Even though Serena and Venus are glammin' up the courts in super sweaty style, their beauty always wins in the end. In fact, their looks, combined with their amazing tennis skills, have helped them land major endorsement deals. Venus has contracts with Reebok and Wilson's Leathers, and Serena just swung a $12 million endorsement deal with Puma. Together, they appear in print ads and commercials for Avon, Got Milk?, and Wrigley's Spearmint Gum. They've even graced the covers of some of today's leading magazines.

But let's not forget the most important part of their success: the wins. As two of the top female players in the sport, Venus and Serena have won everything from the U.S. Open to the French Open to Wimbledon. So what if they like to show their shape, sport "I-can't-believe-she-wore-that" ensembles, or wear purple hair for that matter?! The point is they've got it going on, and they aren't afraid to let the rest of the world know it. To this, all we can say is, "You go, girls!"

A B-Ballin' Beauty

Sure, Lisa Leslie has long and slender legs that most ladies would "1-2-3... exercise, exercise" over and over for. And yes, she's had an extremely successful modeling career in which she's even worked with the esteemed Wilhelmina Modeling Agency in New York.

What's even cooler? Lisa dribbles, passes, and scores in b-ball to the beat of the WNBA. That's right, Lisa, a Los Angeles Sparks center who recently earned the MVP title for the 2002 All-Star Game, continues to radiate her winning glow, flawless skin, shoulder-length hair, and slim stature while working her magic on the court. Quick fact? The bombshell-beauty hoopster was one of the first players selected for the WNBA when it was created -- signifying that a pretty face doesn't mean you can't do your sports thang. Oh, one more thing... Lisa models part-time. Talented and gorgeous? That's unheard of... Not!
(Photo credit: Jesse D. Garra)

Beauty Doesn't Get in Her Way,
But She Sure Is a Knockout!

"Float like a butterfly... sting like a bee... my, oh my... it's that TKO-punching beauty Laila Ali." After all, have you seen the knock-'em-outter? The second youngest daughter of icon, Muhammad Ali, and author of Reach: Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power (Hyperion, 2002), Laila has quickly made a name for herself in the boxing world, not only as a prized and passionate fighting machine with a current 11-0 record, but a beautiful one, at that.

Of course, she explains, when she's in the ring, her concentration is on winning the fight, not looking cute for the camera. However, there's not much work involved for the champ to look as good as she is talented -- it must be the genes!

Laila does believe that female athletes can keep the make-up and hair looking good if it's important to them, without sacrificing the achievement of their ultimate goal: Walking away the winner.

Just like her sports counterparts, Venus and Serena, Laila's talent and good looks have landed her awards, such as being the recipient of Black Entertainment Television's 2002 Female Athlete of the Year, as well as haircare and car commercials. Hey... it doesn't hurt to have the total package, which for Laila, adds up to bucks in the bank!
(Photo credit: Tine Fineberg)

So ladies, if you've got Aphrodite's gift and you're terrific at your sport, don't feel you've got to sacrifice one for the other. If you're confident in what you do, everything else will fall into place.