I Am Not My Hair: I Guess Some People Didn’t Get the Memo

I haven’t followed the Olympics at all this week, after hearing about Gabby Douglas and the U.S.A gymnastics team; I decided to watch the gymnastics portion to check out the women Sports Illustrated labeled the Fab Five. As I sit here and watch Gabby Douglas perform her various routines, I am highly disappointed that people have taken to social media to criticize her hair. It’s a damn shame that women and some men took to twitter to send her negative vibes during such a positive time in her life. What’s even worse, is the fact that enough people talked about her hair that it gained media attention.

I guess some women, mostly African Americans (no big surprise here) felt that Gabby should’ve taken the time to do something better with her hair while defying gravity, balancing on the balance beam, and spinning on the uneven bars. I’m pretty sure that while focusing on her routines and keeping her balance she thought to herself “damn, I should’ve relaxed my hair”. Unfortunately, this is no surprise, as some people are so superficial and shallow that the best they can do is find a way to criticize someone else. Who cares what her hair looks like; she just won 2 gold medals and made history. She was in the Olympics people not a beauty pageant!!!!

Photo courtesy of Jezebel.com

So to the people who felt the need to criticize this beautiful, talented, young lady, I say this Get a Life. Learn what true beauty is, learn what dedication is, learn what hard work is, and learn what sacrifice is. It is these qualities that got Gabby to the Olympics to begin with. I’m pretty sure that the only flips and spins you’re doing are with a curling iron on some hair that probably isn’t yours to begin with. Beauty is not defined by what’s on the outside; it’s what’s on the inside that really counts. Soul singer India Arie said it best when she said “I am not my hair, I am not your expectation, but I am a soul that lives within.

Thoughts?