As we all know, your mindset when it comes to sports is extremely important. Many things can affect the way you think while on the court, field, ice, or in the water. One of those factors that has immense control over your abilities is your confidence. One of the things that influences my confidence is the way that I feel about my appearance at the time. Without trying to sound self-obsessed, I believe that the predominantly female phrase ‘look good, feel good, play good,’ rings true for so many athletes, including me.

I’ve always been someone who has enjoyed placing a bit of importance on my looks. Believe me when I tell you that my looks are not for anyone else but rather because I love the allure of shopping, looking and feeling nice, etc. For me, and I’m sure many other girls, it’s something that embodies us. The feeling of getting something new or putting on a new makeup product is an excitement unique to that kind of thing, and it can easily bolster your confidence.

This spills over into sports as well-especially for girls. Feeling my best definitely adds to my happiness and state of mind. On the court, I notice myself being more lighthearted and having a slight pep in my step compared to when I’m not favoring my outfit choices. Often, if it is lurking in the back of my mind that I don’t feel I look great that day, or possibly that I dislike my clothes, it can weigh me down slightly. I never perform as well on those days.

But this naturally female desire to look your best, even when playing sports, has been debated, argued and shadowed with the condescending naysayers. Some think it strange to apply makeup before getting out on the court, possibly because it will just run off from the perspiration, or because some cannot bear to have makeup on whilst playing their sport. The phrase ‘look good, feel good, play good,’ is frequently used as a defense for this rebuttal. There is an argument for everything, and quite often the people negatively provoked by something that does not affect them cannot be argued for. However, it is tried and true by yours truly that there is no tangible downside to making sure you look your best before heading out on the court; there are only positives!

I like to think of this as something unique to the radiance of womanhood. For me, it is an exciting feeling getting ready, wearing new clothes, and doing all of those things-it only adds to my confidence on the court.