Imane Khelif stuns internet with her ‘absolutely gorgeous’ looks after Olympic gender row: Here's the boxer's message
Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer, debuted a new appearance after receiving backlash online after stoking gender row in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer, debuted a new appearance after receiving backlash online after stoking gender row in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
While the boxer was criticised for playing in the women's category, she shut her critics by winning the gold medal in the Games. She even filed a lawsuit against X owner Elon Musk, author JK Rowling and ex-US President Donald Trump. alleging that several key figures were involved in online harassment over her gender. Khelif claimed that she was the victim of online harassment based on her gender, and French prosecutors have launched a probe into her accusation of cyberbullying.
In her most recent appearance following her Olympic win, she was seen in the center of a collaborative Instagram video posted by Beauty Code and Khelif. The Algerian boxer was dressed in a blue shirt and red boxing gloves, with video switching to a shot of the Algerian boxer in an entirely different look. She was wearing pink flowers linked to her hoops earrings and a white button-down flowery top.
Khelif was “changing her appearance” in the video, but Beauty Code mentioned in the caption, which was translated from Arabic to English, that the boxer was not defined by her appearance. They further noted that the boxer also “did not seek to change her form to fit the molds that the world wants to confine us to.”
“Her message is much deeper: clothes do not make a monk, and appearance does not reveal the essence of a person,” the caption stated. “She can be feminine and elegant when she wants, but on the ring, she does not need makeup or high heels. She only needs strategy, strength, and to throw blows, which is where the essence of her personality lies.”
Social media reacts to Imane Khelif's new look
Meanwhile, several social media users complimented Khelif on her new appearance, However, few pointed that fighter shouldn't have to change her appearance to look more feminine.
“Very stunning woman, the internet owes her an apology,” one person commented, while another wrote: “She looks absolutely gorgeous and the haters are still crying.”
Khelif became the first female athlete from Algeria to win a gold medal in boxing at the Olympics when she defeated Yang Liu in the women's welterweight competition. Days before, anger had erupted over Italy's Angela Carini's decision to withdraw from her round-of-16 match against the Algerian after just 46 seconds. Carini was reportedly heard saying to her coach, “It's not right, it's not right!” during the contest. This sparked an internet controversy around Khelif, who failed a gender eligibility test in 2023.