Wilson now wears high heels during her tunnel walks to embrace her femininity as a woman athlete.
A’ja Wilson may be known for her skills on the court, but her pre-game style has caught fans’ attention as well.
The WNBA star has a fashionable way to feel empowered before suiting up for the Las Vegas Aces, elevating her height and style in the tunnel walks before tip-off. The four-time MVP spoke with Vogue about how the greater emphasis on players’ personal style changed how she arrives at arenas.
“Tunnel ’fits changed our whole league,” she told the outlet. “It brought a different audience and set of eyes to us.”
Before the tunnel looks became their own segment, Wilson opted to focus on her on-court performance.
“There’s plenty of times where I’ve told my stylist, ‘I ain’t doing this. I need to pour into this scouting report before I put on a pair of heels,’” shared the 6-foot-4 power forward.
However, she began to change her perspective, especially on one element of women’s fashion, the high heel. Now, Wilson looks at the pair of heels as an empowering way to showcase her femininity as a professional athlete.
“People should understand how powerful it is to walk into a game in heels, crush it, and put those heels back on. That is so powerful,” she said, while adding, “That is women, and I love that for us.”
Wilson has grown in fashion circles as she has within the WNBA. Now a member of this year’s MET Gala host committee, she continues to pave the way for style in women’s sports. Her advocacy for women athletes to feel confident and beautiful extends even to the locker room. She made sure the Aces’ Locker Rooms had plenty of mirrors so players could look their best as they seek another championship.
“He was like, ‘What do you want the locker room to look like?’ I’m like, ‘Mirrors. It should look like a glam room,” she recalled of her conversation with team owner Mark Davis. We need spots for our own treatments. We need everything.”
“I’m going to do my job, which is making the shoe look good,” she joked with the publication. “I have an opportunity to sit at a table at Nike, one of the biggest companies in the world, and they’re asking me, ‘What do you want?’ ‘Oh, Imma tell you what I want! And we’re gonna see if we can do it.’ ”
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Source: Black Enterprise
