Megan Rapinoe is perhaps as famous for her beautiful pink hair as she is for her soccer skills. Already, the USWNT star was known for her iconic platinum blonde hair that transformed into pink right before she walked onto the field at the 2019 World Cup.

Rapinoe helped the US Women’s National Soccer Team defend their World Cup title and even won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards at the Championships. And her choice of hair color made headlines.

Megan Rapinoe surprised her mother over Skype

Megan Rapinoe’s mother appeared on the Raising Fame podcast to talk about what it was like raising the accomplished and outspoken athlete. Denise Rapinoe never thought her daughter would make waves with her hair. When the veteran soccer player first dyed it to an eye-catching platinum blonde, she called her mother.

“When she went platinum, that was before the 11th World Cup, in Germany. She was back in Florida, the team was there and they were getting ready to leave. And she Skyped with me like, ‘Ma, what do you think about my hair?’ and I was like, ‘Oh my god, what did you do?’” momma Rapinoe revealed.

But despite initial reservations, the hair color was a hit. Nike even made a t-shirt with just her hair. When the Olympic champion swapped out the platinum for the pink four years later, it was clear that she wanted to make a statement. And with Rapinoe’s involvement in fighting against social injustices, Denise Rapinoe wasn’t very sure.

But after a little pondering, she called the accomplished soccer player and spoke from the heart. “I said, ‘You know, Meg, you’re just in the trench with so much, with so many things. Not just your sport, but your activism and all those things. You know what, this is your spirit.’” she continued. Megan Rapinoe’s new hair complimented her personality. “I said, ‘You just go with it. You rock it, girl.’ And she actually got choked up.”

She made a statement with about beauty standards.

Megan Rapinoe understood the gendered nuances of beauty. Femininity calls for delicacy and sportiness screams masculinity. And the two-time World Cup champion was tired of adhering to these standards. She talked to Us magazine about what the hair color meant for her.

“For me, having pink hair it’s a kind of expression of the way that I relate to beauty. When I’m on the soccer field, I want to look beautiful,” Rapinoe shared. “That may be a different kind of beauty than what I want when I’m out to dinner or in a photo shoot, but it’s the fact that the expression should be your own and not what’s just told to you.”

Her flashy hair was a big hit with the masses. The public started looking up the exact shade of her pink-purple locks, the hair masks that kept her hair looking fresh, and a hair care routine to keep the color from fading. She successfully got her message through.