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Simone Biles Responds to Hair Hate on Social Media
Simone Biles has a list of accomplishments that’s nothing short of amazing. She’s won a medal in every competition she’s entered since August 2013, she’s the only female gymnast to take home all-around gold at the prestigious World Gymnastics Championships three years in a row, her 10 golds there are the most of any female gymnast in history, and her 14 medals overall are the most of any American. But, instead of celebrating her accomplishments, some social media commenters have been critiquing her hair, according to Refinery 29.
Recently, Simone made her debut as an honorary Texans cheerleader, making history as the team’s first honorary member. She posted a picture to Instagram with the caption, “I had such an amazing experience cheering at the Texans Game ❤️ Definitely a memory to last forever!”
Some of her fans sent positive comments like, “Simone I want to be like you when I grow up” and “what a beautyyyyyyy.” But, one user, @_.trapboiblack._, decided to write, “Baby…Your Hair…You need some black friends.”
Simone decided to take to Twitter saying, “I have 1 question to everyone commenting about my hair when I genuinely look happy in the photo..Do you look perfect ALL the time? everything in perfect order.?” Her fans immediately rushed to her defense showering her with love and support in her mentions. @taysexuality wrote, “Tell em, Simone. You looked happy and relaxed, that’s all that matters.”
Social media users need to understand that hurtful comments are never OK. The truth is, Simone shouldn’t have to constantly go on social media to defend her hair. She’s an Olympic Gold Medalist and should be celebrated as such. The focus here should be about her accomplishments, rather than a distasteful critique of her hair. Unfortunately, Simone isn’t the only black gymnast who has been trolled because of her hair; her teammate Gabby Douglas went through similar scrutiny. The scrutiny over black women’s hair — especially when it comes to the effects of exercise — needs to end. It’s upsetting that black women still have to defend their hair in 2017, but Simone addressed the comments in the best way. The world needs more of this.
