Every Girl Should Rock a Tiara

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That's what Julia Mancuso said as she strolled the Olympic village in hot pink tights, long hair flowing, sporting the blue fade out Team USA jacket talking with Matt Lauer from the Today Show after taking her 2nd silver medal in these Games. When asked why the tights she said, "I'm just having fun."

Julia, I misjudged you.

The tiara I didn't get, the shimmy on the podium I didn't get - but now I get it! You're just a girl having fun doing what you do. Playful, sexy, sassy, a wicked rad skier from Tahoe - and a Squaw Girl, no less - I adore you!

Somehow I missed the whole tiara thing. In 2005, Julia's coach gave her a plastic tiara for good luck that she wore over her helmet in a handful of slalom races. She donned a "Super Jules" tiara in Turin after taking gold in 2006, debuted a styly, sparkly new tiara after her silver medal-winning run in the downhill at Whistler this week and launched a line of lingerie here at the Games called "Kiss My Tiara." I want tiara undies!

Said Julia: "I think underwear is my calling. You can be feminine and fast.” Boo ya! Why didn't I think of an underwear line? I want to be feminine and fast!

Girls, this is why we wear the running skirts and why, I suspect, Yariv keeps telling me to wear "cuter" clothes to Crossfit. It's not just about getting it done, it's about having fun with it, showing strength and beauty, being focused but not to the point where you can't express your individuality or consider, hey, what might make this more fun? A running skirt, a sleek workout top to show off those hard-earned shoulders, matching outfits with your BFF.

Big evolution in my athletic career was when I discovered eyelash tint. A tint that worked way better than any of the water-proof options that clearly didn't take into account a 2.4 mile swim at the beginning of a 12 hour Ironman or 6 hours on the trails with sweat dripping in your eyes. Yes, the tint gave me the big, dark lashes that had been missing from all those apres-event pictures. It let me have some fun amongst the game-day focus and nerves.

On the flip side, I give huge props to Kelly Clark for just going out and hitting it in the halfpipe - no adornments, no flourish - just tremendous talent and poise. And you, Evan Lycasek, on the flip FLIP side, I don't understand figure skating outfits at all. Where does the costume thing come from? Admittedly, I change the channel when figure skating comes on but I watched your performance online today and you crushed it. I cried. Congratulations!

Post note: I just saw a Visa clip on Julia's training - a girl after my own heart! "I want to wake up at 5am and go surf and then maybe paddleboard and then go to the gym and then go back and surf some more and my coaches say I can't work out 12 hours a day but I don't know...cause I feel energized at the time." Watch it here.

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