Gabrielle “Gabby” Douglas, who just became the second black female gold medalist in the history of Olympics gymnastics, is representing her country proudly and with class and dignity. Sadly, the only thing some people can focus on is that her hair is not staying perfectly in place?!
She needs some gel and a brush…
Someone needs to give her a hair intervention…
She has to “represent”…
The swiftness by which some African Americans eagerly swarm and devour their own — and the level of venom, to boot — is dumbfounding as well as nonsensical. But it also reveals a level of undeniable and long-sustained self-revulsion that is nauseating as well as mystifying. Just what purpose did this serve? This young, 16-year-old girl is a once-in-a-generation athlete who is accomplishing things that have never been done before, but you can only see a few strands of locks out of place. I’m not the only one dismayed and mortified by this unprovoked slam on an elite, pioneering sports star. Monisha Randolph, who runs a blog called Sporty Afros, came correct when she said this:
“So what’s the big deal about Gabby’s hair? From what I am reading on Facebook and Twitter, many African American women who are SITTING and WATCHING Gabby compete believe her hair is not “kept,” Randolph writes. “Have we forgotten that Gabby is competing at Olympics XXX? This is not “America’s Next Top Model” that we’re watching. These ladies are participating in a global athletic competition. And the last time I checked when you play a sport, you sweat. I know I do. And when a black woman who has chosen to wear her hair straight begins to sweat, her hair will (not might) begin to revert back to its natural coily, curly, or kinky state. Does Gabby need to stop every five minutes to check her hair? No. When one experiences back-to-back intense workouts, that person learns what works best on their hair.”
Apparently not satisfied with that, he continued:
Douglas can perform aerial acrobatics that marvel the world and make her a darling of her sport, but she comes back to her own community and get taken apart like a bleeding zebra at a lion convention. This is the apex of ignorance and stupidity
Luckily, those critiquing Douglas’s hair (the kind of people who also probably criticized Dominique Dawes’ hair when she was the first black female to win gymnastic gold back in 1996, albeit before advent of social media) have awaken Douglas’ supporters by the truckloads. There’s a backlash, with many on Twitter defending the gymnast and rightfully blasting Douglas’ hair detractors:
Read the comments from supporters who came to Douglas’ defense against imbecilic and infantile hate, starting with this one below:
“Gabby Douglas got real hair and real Olympic. All y’all got is weaves and envy.”
