American teenager Gabby Douglas has been wowing the world with grace, style, and of course, the women’s all-around gymnastics gold medal.
Nevertheless, much of the chatter on social media and online platforms has been about the upkeep of her hair, and not all feedback is positive.
Douglas, one of the few African-American gymnasts ever to compete in the Olympics and the first to win all-around gold, is an inspiring story.
Time and Sports Illustrated have her on their covers. President Barack Obama called to congratulate her. So why do people care about Gabby Douglas’ hair?!
“I love how she’s doing her thing and winning,’’ says 22-year-old Latisha Jenkins of Detroit told The Daily Beast. “But I just hate the way her hair looks.”
“With all those pins and gel … I wish someone could have helped her make it look better since she’s being seen all over the world.”
“She representing for black women everywhere.’’
According to reports, the 4’11” Douglas appears to have chemically relaxed natural hair, to which she adds a human-hair ponytail for height.
The Olympic champ then apparently slicks it all back with a heavy layer of gel to help it stay in place during her high-energy performances.
Hair has always been something of a hot button issue for African-American women culturally, but in the case of Douglas, isn’t the criticism a little much?
Douglas’ accomplishments speak for themselves … for the conversation to turn to a teenager’s physical appearance and upkeep seems a bit unfair.
Do you like her hair? Does it matter? Tell us what you think.
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