Caitlin Clark Looks So Much Different Wearing Makeup

Caitlin Clark always looks fresh-faced when she's shooting those logo threes, but this doesn't mean her makeup game isn't strong when she does decide to wear it.

Those who have closely followed Clark's collegiate basketball career are used to seeing her with bare skin and a ponytail. While some female athletes are better known for their striking appearances than their athletic prowess, it's usually not Clark's appearance that fans are focused on; it's the Iowa Hawkeyes guard's dominant performance on the court. Among the many feathers in Clark's cap are becoming the NCAA's all-time scoring leader and being named national player of the year (twice). She also led her team to victory against UConn in the Final Four, giving the Hawkeyes a shot at winning their first national championship title. She's become so recognizable that Clark was asked what it's like being "the face of not just women's basketball but college basketball" in an ESPN interview. "I think it's hard for myself to wrap my head around because I'm only 21 years old," she said. Speaking of her famous face, her team spirit is so strong, she's given it a subtle nod in one of her beauty looks. For a 2023 interview with the Big Ten Network, she wore a light dusting of one of her team's colors — old gold — on her eyelids. 

Clark looked far different wearing just a little makeup, so fans were understandably flabbergasted by her glam makeover for a commercial.

Caitlin Clark is raking in some hefty paychecks thanks to the Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) deals she's inked with various companies. Her fellow collegiate basketball star Angel Reese is also making bank by taking advantage of her ability to accept sponsorship offers. One of the companies she's working with is the beauty brand Mielle Organics. Clark's On3 portfolio of business deals doesn't yet include any cosmetics, haircare or skincare companies, but the makeup she sported in an ad for State Farm received a ton of feedback from fans.

Clark is dressed for game day in the ad, which also stars Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler and retired Indiana Pacers great Reggie Miller. Clark's hair is pulled back and she looks ready to ball, but the dark eye makeup, lipstick, and contour on her face are not something her fans are used to seeing when she plays. This was evident on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Whoever did Caitlin Clark's makeup for that State Farm commercial should be sued!" one critic wrote. "Why didn't State Farm just let Caitlin Clark look normal in that commercial? That makeup is too much and it's weird," read another tweet.

But there was someone who did like seeing Clark sporting a different look in the commercial: her teammate Gabbie Marshall. On X, sports journalist Chad Leistikow quoted Marshall as saying, "I like when she has her makeup all done and her hair all done."

Caitlin Clark might not rock red lip paint when she's going hard in the paint, but she does have something in common with Taylor Swift: they both own custom designs by Kristin Juszczyk. The wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk went viral during football season when Swift sported one of her creations. According to Kristin, State Farm later reached out and asked her to create a vest for Clark. "I wanted to be able to make a special piece for her to show her how much her fans love her, how much Iowa loves her, and what a trailblazer she is," Kristin told People. So, while Clark might not be big on makeup, maybe she'll become a sporty fashion icon — she has already scored an endorsement deal with Nike, after all. 

Something else Clark has in common with Swift is her ability to get people to tune in to watch games if she's going to be there. Of course, she has to put in a little more work than the pop star. In an interview with NBC Sports, Clark said she's had numerous people tell her, "I've never watched women's college basketball before, but now I love turning it on." She also revealed that she has attended one of Swift's concerts. Perhaps when Clark joins the WNBA, Swift will return the favor and get even more people to tune in to watch Clark play.