Snowboarder Chloe Kim wants a new name for 'slut strands': 'I hate the term'

Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim wants to rename the term “slut strands.”

The two-time gold medalist, 21, spoke to InStyle this week about the hairstyle worn by women snowboarders, which features two pieces of hair sticking out from underneath their helmet. The goal is to show that it is a woman hitting the slopes under all that gear. While “slut strands” have been celebrated all over social media as women snowboarders dominated the Olympics this year, Kim wishes that there was a different moniker for the hairdo.

"We need to change the name to beauty strands," Kim told the outlet. "I hate the term. Beauty strands make me feel beautiful, and it's such a cute thing."

While Kim may feel uncomfortable with the term, not everyone wants to change it. In fact, a Denver-based activewear company even named itself Slut Strand Society after the popular snowboarding term. On its website, founder Elsa Watkins defines the term while acknowledging it may have problematic connotations to some.

“Two strands of hair commonly used by the ladies of skiing & snowboarding to express femininity under all dat gear,” the Slut Strands Society site reads. “No, they do not make someone a slut. And no, we do not support slut shaming. They are of comparable importance to your bindings themselves, a true staple to the lifestyle. We’re here to embrace em.”

Watkins told Yahoo Life of the unknown origins of the term, in use since the early 2000s, she believes, “Our culture back then was a bit lawless and capitalized on being provocative and pushing the rules. So, did we necessarily like the hairstyle being called slut strands? Nope. But, the term wasn't ever going away, so we got to squash slut-shaming and reclaim our strands."

While Kim may be rocking “beauty strands” on the slopes, she told InStyle that the most important thing to her is representation.

"It's such an honor, and to be able to do something I love and bring more attention to my community is very important to me," she shared. "It makes me so happy knowing there's an Asian American girl out there, looking up to me, wanting to try their best and work hard to make those dreams come true. It makes me happy knowing that I can be that person for her."

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