Simone Biles Asked TikTok If It’s ‘Normal’ to Pay $23k for Styling. The Answer Might Be Yes

How much should a high-profile woman pay to be styled before a red carpet event? Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles posed that question on TikTok last week. With the stylist, hair, and makeup fee, she revealed, she’d paid a grand total of $23,000.

She said she’d been “spiraling” since the event. “If that’s the new norm, y’all can have it,” she said. “Y’all will never see me at another event. I’m gonna stay my ass right here where it’s free.” She added, “There’s no ill intent. I just need to know if this is normal.” She directed her question to her fellow celebrities–athletes, performers, and influencers.

Her post got 31,000 likes and 892 comments. Most commenters said styling shouldn’t be that expensive, some offered advice, and at least one offered to pay for her styling. Her complaint, and her TikTok are a lesson for every leader.

Did someone take advantage of Biles?

The high price tag, and the nature of the question, seem to invite an obvious answer. Of course it’s not normal to pay $23,000 for one evening’s look, especially if she didn’t even keep the dress. You might be quick to say that no one should be paying prices like that for one evening’s styling, and that someone, or several someones, took advantage of Biles. In fact, when I set out to write this column, that’s what I planned to say.

Why did I change my mind? WWD and others pointed out that Biles’ was likely referring to her recent appearance at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid. Last year, she won the Laureus award for Sportswoman of the Year for the fourth time. This year, she presented a lifetime achievement award to fellow gymnast Nadia Comaneci. “Basically the Oscars…but make it sports,” is how Biles described the event when she posted a picture of herself that evening to Instagram.

Think about that analogy. At the actual Oscars, those in the fashion industry and even casual viewers consider the red carpet arrivals outside the theater to be as important as the award ceremony itself. Celebrities arrive knowing that millions are watching–and will talk about their look long after the event. Business Insider reports that A-list celebrities pay around $10 million to be styled for the Oscars, and in 2014, Cate Blanchett’s look cost more than $18 million. Most of that was for jewelry, but her Armani dress cost $100,000.

Her look turned heads.

In that context, $23,000 seems considerably less outrageous. Biles wasn’t just styled to look beautiful, she was styled to turn heads and generate headlines in the fashion press. She wore a gold one-shouldered minidress with a train spilling down one side, covered in “feathers” painstakingly made from fabric.