Since winning a bronze medal in the all-around and uneven bar finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Suni Lee’s life has transformed dramatically. The 22-year-old gymnast is stepping away from competitive gymnastics, moving from Saint Paul, Minnesota, to New York City, and embracing a new identity as a fashion and beauty influencer. She’s sat front row at Tommy Hilfiger and Off-White’s New York Fashion Week shows, made her modeling debut in the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue alongside teammate Jordan Chiles, and now regularly posts GRWM videos while partnering with brands like Tatcha, Make Up For Ever, Laneige, and Ole Henriksen.
The Girl Behind the Glam
Lee’s love for beauty started at 16 when she began getting her nails done and building a full beauty routine. Now, she’s entering the world of beauty influencing with a refreshing perspective: she prefers affordable drugstore staples over luxury products. “A face full of drugstore beauty is refreshing to me,” she says. “Just because something is super expensive, people think that it’s automatically a good product and that they need it. But I’m like, ‘No, you can buy this at Target. Go to CVS—like, it’s right there.’ You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on products because they’re hyped up right now on TikTok.”
Her approach resonates with young followers who seek accessible beauty tips. Lee’s routine is simple: she uses a collagen mask (especially the salmon DNA variety) and a depuffing gua sha before events, avoiding facials because they break her out. “Every time I come out of a facial, I look amazing. My skin’s glowing. And then, a couple days after, I have pimples everywhere,” she explains. She sticks to three skincare products—moisturizer, sunscreen, and a mask—and prefers makeup for confidence. Her must-haves include the Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream as a base and the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer under her eyes.
Makeup as a Competition Tool
Lee’s relationship with makeup deepened during her competitive career. Her sister first introduced her to makeup, but it became part of her routine for competitions: “Makeup makes me feel confident and pretty, and I usually have the best competition of my life wearing it.” She credits Simone Biles with teaching her about lip stains, which became a staple at the Paris Olympics because they don’t come off even under the harsh arena lights. Red lipstick, in particular, emerged as her good luck charm after she wore it to championships and later to Olympic trials. “I wore a red lip to championships because my leotard was all red and super sparkly. From that meet on, I was like, ‘Oh, red lips are my good luck charm.’ I’m a very superstitious person.”
Lee also shared how lashes boost her confidence: “When I’m wearing lashes, I wake up and automatically feel confident. My makeup routine is a lot faster too—with extensions, I can do my whole face in three minutes. When I take them off, I feel like a completely different person. I almost have an identity crisis.” However, she’s learning to embrace her natural beauty, allowing her beauty marks to show through without heavy foundation.
Navigating Body Image and Mental Health
Being under constant camera scrutiny as a gymnast has been challenging. Lee has worked through therapy and self-affirmations to build confidence. “You know, being a gymnast, our bodies are always being talked about. I’ve had to go through a lot of therapy and self-affirmations telling myself that ‘I look beautiful today’ and ‘I’m the most confident I’ve ever been’ just so that when I go out there and compete, I can have the best competition of my life.” She notes a shift in gymnastics culture from seriousness to fun: “I remember when I was a junior elite gymnast, I was on the Jumbotron, and I was cheering, ‘Let’s go!’ And one of the girls next to me was like, ‘Suni, don’t do that.’ They only wanted us to be serious and focused all the time. They didn’t want us to have fun. Now, we want younger girls to see that you can compete on the biggest stage in the world and you can still have fun.”
Mental health remains a priority for Lee. She journals daily, keeps close friendships, and practices self-care by staying home, doing face masks, taking baths, and coloring. “A self-care day for me is just being at home, doing a face mask, taking a nice bath, eating a good meal, and watching TV to keep my mind at ease. I’ve been really into coloring lately. If I don’t, then I’m just going to sit here in my thoughts, which isn’t always the best.” She also makes small goals like eating alone or going for a walk to push herself out of her introverted comfort zone.
A New Life in New York
Moving from Minnesota to New York has changed Lee’s style dramatically. “In New York, you walk the streets and you see the coolest people ever. Everyone’s so chic and timeless. I used to wear the baggiest clothes everywhere. Sweatsuits all day every day. It’s cold in Minnesota in the winter, and there’s not a lot of distraction there, and I’m only there to train. So I’m like, ‘What do I need to get dressed for?’ Now, I feel like I’m more of a sweater or a cardigan with a tee or tank top, some trousers, and a heeled boot.” She loves that she can wear heels to run errands in New York, something that would have drawn stares in Minnesota.
Lee’s favorite travel destination so far is Medellín, Colombia, which she visited for gymnastics. She describes it as the most beautiful city she’s ever seen. But she’s most excited about an upcoming three-week trip to Thailand with her sisters and best friends—a long-awaited vacation after years of never being allowed to skip practice. “I have been dying to go to Thailand, and I’m actually going in July for three weeks. My parents have been, like, four times, and I haven’t been able to go. I was never allowed to skip practice, so I’ve had to miss out on all the trips, but now I have the time, so we’re gonna go for three weeks.”
Career Highlights and Future Plans
Lee’s gymnastics career includes an all-around gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and bronze medals in Paris 2024. She has been a vocal advocate for athlete mental health, particularly after watching Simone Biles prioritize her well-being during the Tokyo Games. Lee also battled kidney disease in 2023, which threatened her Olympic comeback, but she pushed through to compete in Paris. Now, as she transitions into media and beauty, she’s building a brand that combines authenticity with aspiration. Her upcoming appearance at New York Fashion Week, continued modeling with major publications, and growing influencer partnerships signal a new chapter. She also expressed a dream to guest-star on Law & Order: SVU, her favorite show.
Throughout the interview, Lee emphasized the importance of staying true to oneself, whether through affordable beauty products or embracing imperfections. Her journey from a Hmong-American girl in Minnesota to an Olympic champion and now a multifaceted personality inspires many. As she put it, “I’m just getting started.”
Source: AOL.com News