Simone Biles is not letting haters stop her shine. The Olympian –who just earned the title as the most-decorated U.S. gymnast of all time — posted a video Tuesday (July 30) leading into today's final events.
“Don’t come for me about my hair,” Biles captioned a Instagram clip of herself rocking a ponytail. “IT WAS DONE but [the] bus has NO AC & it’s like 9,0000 degrees,” she continued putting a fan to her face. “Oh & a 45 min ride.”
In a separate selfie she wrote, “Gonna hold your hand when I say this [lips emoji] Next time you wanna comment on a black girls hair. JUST DON’T.”
Earlier this month, in a profile with Elle, Biles spoke about how she has stopped caring what critics think of her hair.
“I used to worry about [my hair being considered] not professional but I’m not embarrassed about it anymore,” she told the publication. “Most of the backlash we get is from our own community, which is unfortunate. I don’t really care if my edges aren’t smooth.”
Gabby Douglas Reflects On Harsh Criticism From Amid Simone Biles Clap Back To Haters
This is not the first time that a Black woman on the U.S. gymnastics team has been criticized for their hair. Gabby Douglas, who is a 2012 Olympic all-around champion and the 2015 World all-around silver medalist, received a lot of backlash about her hair when she was on the team.
The Olympian wrote on Instagram in 2020 about the damage her hair went through over the years and how she developed bald spots due to constant styling.
“From the heart,” she began her candid Instagram post. “From a very young age i always had to put my hair in a tight ponytail to do gymnastics and due to that my hair became completely damaged. i had bald spots on the back of my head. i was so embarrassed and self-conscious that i put a bunch of clips over the spots to try and cover them up, but it was still noticeable. My hair grew a little, but shortly after, i had to cut all of my hair off because it was so damaged.”
She continued, adding that she felt “embarrassed” that she didn't have healthy hair, and it ultimately became a topic of discussion during both the 2012 and 2015 Olympics she competed in. However, despite the trolls online, she reflected in her 2020 message that she is embracing her natural hair with “no extensions, no clip-ins, no wigs, no chemicals, all me.”
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