41 Pictures That Show How Much Team USA's Olympic Uniforms Have Changed

Cosmopolitan

Tue, August 9, 2016 at 10:06 PM UTC

50 Pictures That Show How Much Team USA's Gymnastics Uniforms Have Changed Over the Years — You just purchased a "TEAM USA" t-shirt on Etsy, your plans for the next few weeks revolve around sports, and you're suddenly an expert on the ins and outs of gymnastics score keeping. In other words: the 2021 Tokyo Olympics have finally arrived (after a year-long delay!) and the time has come to stan the U.S. gymnastics team. And also their outfits, naturally.
While the outfits olympic athletes wear might not *seem* like the most important thing ever, for the U.S. gymnastics team, they kinda are! Literal points get deducted if their leotards aren't perfect, they're custom designed for each athlete, and they take years to design. Basically, they're the ultimate mix of style and functionality, and the designers who make them have been doing the most since back in the 1940s.
This year's leotards are from GK Elite, and feature 7,600 Swarovski crystals each. "There's a lot of research and development that goes into it," Kelly McKeown, the chief design officer for GK Elite, told Cosmopolitan back in 2016. "It's something you don't want to rush. If you want to use a new technique, if you want to experiment, then you have to wear-test it, you have to wash-test it, you have to make sure that it's not going to fail on the competition floor."
Click through to check out all the different designs that the U.S. gymnastics team has worn through the years!
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1936 — Berlin — *Consetta Caruccio-Lenz*
In a pre-spandex world, jumping over a pommel horse was a medal-worthy feat, even without flips and twists.
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1946 — London — *Marian Barone*
It's sort of like an oversize baby onesie with a beauty queen sash. At least it doesn't look constricting!
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1956 — Melbourne — *Muriel Davis*
In the 1950s, everyone wore their pants up around their armpits. Even their track pants.
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1960 — Rome — *Sharon Richardson, Doris Fuchs, Muriel Davis*
The blue tracksuit would eventually become a staple of every U.S. Olympic gymnastics team.
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1964 — Tokyo — *Muriel Grossfeld*
This look is brought to you by hair spray: Too much is never enough!
Bettmann/Getty

1968 — Mexico City — *Cathy Rigby*
Gymnasts just keep getting younger and younger, right?!
Jerry Cooke/Sports Illustrated/Getty

1972 — Munich — *Cathy Rigby*
No "USA"? No red, white, and blue? What's going on here?
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1984 — Los Angeles — *Mary Lou Retton*
That's better. America!
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1988 — Seoul — *Phoebe Mills*
Whoa! Now *those* are abs!
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1992 — Barcelona — *Team USA: Betty Okino, Wendy Bruce, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Kerri Strug, Kim Zmeskal*
Is there anything more '90s than a giant printed Windbreaker?
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1996 — Atlanta — *Dominique Dawes*
This was the year Team USA started experimenting with metallic prints like the big gold star on the side of this leotard.
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2000 — Sydney — *Elise Ray*
More white. This time with slightly metallic red sleeves.
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2004 — Athens — *Carly Patterson*
And we're back to white.
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2008 — Beijing — *Shawn Johnson*
Back to red, but this time with crystals! ~*SpaRkLy*~.
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2012 — London — *Gabby Douglas*
Another Olympics, another white leotard. How do they come up with this stuff?
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2016 — Rio de Janiero — *Team USA: Lauren Hernandez, Simone Biles, Madison Kocian, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas*
More red. More crystals.
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50 Pictures That Show How Much Team USA's Gymnastics Uniforms Have Changed Over the Years

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You just purchased a "TEAM USA" t-shirt on Etsy, your plans for the next few weeks revolve around sports, and you're suddenly an expert on the ins and outs of gymnastics score keeping. In other words: the 2021 Tokyo Olympics have finally arrived (after a year-long delay!) and the time has come to stan the U.S. gymnastics team. And also their outfits, naturally.

While the outfits olympic athletes wear might not seem like the most important thing ever, for the U.S. gymnastics team, they kinda are! Literal points get deducted if their leotards aren't perfect, they're custom designed for each athlete, and they take years to design. Basically, they're the ultimate mix of style and functionality, and the designers who make them have been doing the most since back in the 1940s.

This year's leotards are from GK Elite, and feature 7,600 Swarovski crystals each. "There's a lot of research and development that goes into it," Kelly McKeown, the chief design officer for GK Elite, told Cosmopolitan back in 2016. "It's something you don't want to rush. If you want to use a new technique, if you want to experiment, then you have to wear-test it, you have to wash-test it, you have to make sure that it's not going to fail on the competition floor."

Click through to check out all the different designs that the U.S. gymnastics team has worn through the years!

Getty Images

So much red, white, and blue.

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50 Pictures That Show How Much Team USA's Gymnastics Uniforms Have Changed Over the Years

1936 — Berlin

1946 — London

1956 — Melbourne

1960 — Rome

1964 — Tokyo

1968 — Mexico City

1972 — Munich

1984 — Los Angeles

1984 — Los Angeles

1984 — Los Angeles

1988 — Seoul

1992 — Barcelona

1996 — Atlanta

1996 — Atlanta

1996 — Atlanta

1996 — Atlanta

1996 — Atlanta

2000 — Sydney

2000 — Sydney

2000 — Sydney

2004 — Athens

2004 — Athens

2008 — Beijing

2008 — Beijing

2008 — Beijing

2008 — Beijing

2008 — Beijing

2008 — Beijing

2008 — Beijing

2008 — Beijing

2008 — Beijing

2008 — Beijing

2012 — London

2012 — London

2012 — London

2012 — London

2012 — London

2012 — London

2012 — London

2016 — Rio de Janiero

2016 — Rio de Janiero

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