More sports celebrities are appearing on the covers of Chinese fashion magazines exploring new trends. They have been hailed by Chinese netizens.
After the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics bid farewell to the world, Chinese netizens have been reluctant to say goodbye to the grand sports party and the athletes. However, they soon found these sports stars in other channels like fashion magazines.
Under the title Sporty Aesthetics, Wu Dajing’s picture appeared on the cover of the summer edition of the Chinese edition of the French fashion magazine Ellemen with an ability to express fashion that stunned many Chinese netizens.
In one of the pictures, Wu wears a black suit and a pair of sunglasses with skates for short speed skating that represent his identity as a world famous skater. The image, a combination of sports and fashion, received numerous likes from Chinese netizens.
“The cover character should not only be famous but also highly acceptable by the public. This is why many sports stars are popular. They do not give readers a feeling of vanity, luxury or being superior. It is a kind of traditional impression that we like their simplicity. The mix with a fashion magazine created posh vibes, like a female runner wearing Cartier. It makes us think she is worth more than those celebrities who wear it every day,” Zhang Duo, a planning expert in the advertising industry, told the Global Times.
Athletic beauty
Wu is not alone among athletes approaching fashion. Gu Ailing and Su Yiming, who bagged gold medals at the Beijing 2022, have also become favorites of the fashion industry.
Three Chinese women soccer players also made the cover of the magazine Wonderland, on March 8. They represent the three generations of Chinese women’s soccer players born in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, which is similar to the legacy of the spirit of Chinese women’s soccer.
“This time, they gather together for a fashion magazine cover shoot. Although they stripped of their competition clothes, they can still maintain the beauty of speed and power with confidence and a big smile to show the elegant style,” a Sina Weibo account focused on fashion commented.
The clothes displayed by the three soccer players attracted the attentions of netizens with many asking for a link to purchase these outfits.
Fashion industry insiders are more willing to invite these sports stars to appear on fashion magazines for beauty which has been a change in most current fashion design.
“In the traditional view, female clothing designers prefer what I do, those bony and hanger-like models. But this has changed. The most current fashion designs, especially for women, show the appreciation of flaws and nature, hiring more tough-built models to relay the underlining meaning that women’s beauty come from what they are capable of doing. This is what sports star can show,” Su Xiaohan, a female clothing designer, told the Global Times.
Su noted that sports stars have a perfect body and are natural models compared to many celebrities, especially when they have been shot in still mode.
The trend of pursuing athletic beauty is being promoted by the fashion industry, popular sports stars and the public. “Sports stars that have celebrity status, like Gu Ailing, are going to be fashion industry’s new choice,” Zhang remarked.
Recognition of the public
Ordinary Chinese people are also following the new trend of pursuing athletic beauty and are paying more attention to fitness and mental health.
The trend can be seen in many Chinese universities that are full of youthful spirit.
Yu Xi, a 20-year-old student at the Renming University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday that she participated in the school’s basketball association as the sport can lift her spirit. She became fitter, healthier and more confident after joining the association.
Wang Ke, an aerobics teacher at the Tianjin University of Sports and winner of five titles in international aerobics events, told the Global Times that sports like aerobics are active, sunny and energetic.
“Our projects also fully reflect beautiful lines, postures, smiles and movements, which have played a positive role in guiding young students to yearn for beauty,” he said.
Wang added that the sports celebrities on the covers of fashion magazines can be a good opportunity to popularize sports with the public, and could encourage more teens to cultivate their body and improve the overall health of young people across the country.
Jia Wangwei, Vice President of the India-China Yoga College, based in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, considered that since the outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic, people are paying more attention to health and the beauty of health has been trending in the public.
Jia mentioned that an increasing number of Chinese started to do yoga as more students apply for courses and the number of classes has highly increased.
Chinese athlete Wu Dajing Photo: Weibo account of Ellemen
