Simone Biles Soars by Kennedi Carter for Glamour US June 2021 | Judge Drops All Charges Against Her Brother

Ten-star, athlete woman Simone Biles covers the June 2021 issue of Glamour Magazine US. And what a cover it is! Chasidy Chevonne styles the Olympian in red, white and blue sophistication from AZ Factory, David Koma, Joomi Lim earrings, Monot, Proenza Schouler and more./ Hair by Jadis Jolie; makeup Ambreen Khwaja

The fashion shoot takes place at Le Méridien Houston Downtown, with an excellent Zoom interview by senior Glamour editor Macaela MacKenzie.

Update Sat. Aug. 17: We know this article has gone viral. Posted today is another fabulous series of Simone Biles images by Austin-born, New York-based photographer Rahim Fortune. We’ve distilled the interview from WSJ Magazine.

Back to Kennedi Carter and the Glamour June 2021 interview.

Glamour Magazine’s cover fashion story images by photographer Kennedi Carter have infused the gymnastic star with a magnetic, spirited, human-beyond-words presence. I always say that on rare occasions with model or subject and the photographer — all hell breaks loose, and it’s like nobody else is in their universe.

Men — at least cis men — have used sexual magnetism to convince themselves that this photographer-model chemistry exists, when a really good model is just doing her job. Like women faking orgasms, I’m always more interested in the model’s narrative of how the photo shoot went down.

In this Glamour US June issue case, both women gave far beyond the capacity they originally brought to the fashion shoot. AOC isn’t clear if the women met before — we did a quick search that came up empty. But given Kennedi Carter’s recognition as a truly gifted human portrait photographer and Biles being among the best athletes in the world — and their shared experiences as women of color excelling beyond all expectations they ever had of themselves — well that recipe for connection beats out 95% of sexual seductions any day. And their gift is all ours to savor and appreciate deeply.

If you watch the video on Glamour, it’s clear that Kennedi Carter and/or Glamour senior visual editor Lauren Brown didn’t just pick a few winning shots. The screen rolls on and on, and the two women are locked in an artistic dance. Biles literally steps out of herself in a totally fabulous way, turning herself over to Carter’s technical and creative mastery. Trust of and genuine like Carter are written all over the gymnast’s face. And her eyes!!! OMG!

Big Tuesday News in the Life of Simone Biles

AOC never just pulls two-three paragraphs to quote from an article, pasting it in a blog post. We always use interviews to learn more about the person’s life and the cultural dynamic around her. In this case, writing about Simone Biles leaving NIKE for the Gap was on our intention list. And all the crap haters are throwing Biles’ way over her GOAT appliques on her competitive performance clothes is too much. Both those events are in my Simone Biles brain folder.

In fact, this Houston goddess has had quite a day, and we don’t pretend to understand all the details of the story. Posted this evening at 6:45 PM ET by CNN, the headline reads: Brother of Olympic gymnast Simone Biles is acquitted of murder charges from 2018 shooting.

In May, the murder trial of Simone Biles’ brother Tevin Biles-Thomas, ended in a mistrial.

The case came before Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Joan Synenberg in a retrial discussion today, Tuesday June 15. The judge granted a Rule 29 motion for judgment of acquittal by the defense for lack of evidence, dismissing Biles-Thomas' murder charges and acquitting him of voluntary manslaughter and felonious assault charges, court spokesperson Darren Toms said.

Biles-Thomas was arrested in 2019 on charges of murder, voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault and perjury in connection with a New Year's Eve fatal shooting in Cleveland. On that night, uninvited guests walked into a house party and a fight ensued. That fight led to the shooting in which multiple people were injured -- two of whom died at the scene and a third who later died at a hospital.

Cleveland police identified Biles-Thomas as the shooter, a charge he has always denied. "This was a horrible tragedy, three families lost three family members and you know, absolutely horrific. So, we understand emotions were running high," Biles-Thomas attorney, Joe Patituce, said."But today, Tevin Biles was vindicated, what he's waited to get for the last two and half years."

Patituce added that Biles-Thomas has maintained his innocence for the last two and a half years "because he is frankly innocent of these charges and today we were able to see that the state had absolutely no evidence that he was guilty of this offense."

Simone Biles has experienced a traumatic family history herself, and is definitely close to her brother. What an incredible gift this day has brought to the world’s greatest gymnast ever.

Biles is now committing feats considered to be impossible for the human body — and she is doing them at an advanced age for a gymnast .In May, at her first competition since COVID began, Simone Biles flawlessly executed the Yurchenko double pike vault — never performed in competition.

Kudos all around for Simone Biles and everything this young woman stands for — especially her commitment to helping other survivors of sexual abuse, for advancing women athletes, and for being willing to take on permanently USA Gymnastics, the governing body of her sport — a system that ignored staggering sexual abuse by team doctors of young women in their care. Biles has been a leader in that ongoing fight.

I’m kind of out of words after reading the story of Biles’ brother’s acquittal today. I can’t imagine the joy and relief she must feel. She is already a legend — Simone Biles — and none of us know exactly where she is going. All we know is that it will be a great ride, and she will do her people, her country and all those young girls of every skin color who think she is pure magic — Biles will make them all very proud.

Thanks again to Kennedi Carter. She fired on all cylinders in this joyous red-white-and blue fashion drama. ~ Anne

New: July 17, 2021

Simone Biles Bends Excellence to Her Will in WSJ Magazine by Rahim Fortune