Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles had a blunt message for online trolls who judged her for having "messy" hair.
On July 30, the 27-year-old, who with the U.S. women's gymnastics team would win the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, posted an Instagram video selfie on the way to the women's gymnastics team final.
In the clip, Biles showed her curled strands of hair slicked back into a ponytail as she held a portable electric fan and wrote in the text overlay:
"Don’t come for me about my hair."
She continued:
“IT WAS DONE but [the] bus has NO AC & it’s like 9,0000 degrees."
Biles added that the uncomfortable journey was a "45 min ride.”
Here is the video of her PSA.
In case the message didn't register the first time, Biles made herself perfectly clear with a follow-up, writing:
“Gonna hold your hand when I say this 💋Next time you wanna comment on a black girls hair. JUST DON’T.”
@simonebiles/Instagram
Fans approved this message.
Some users wondered why trolls were so fixated on her looks instead of celebrating her extraordinary athleticism and talent.
The PSA was presumably in response to viewers judging her appearance at the qualifying competition on Sunday, July 28.
Wearing a star-patterned long-sleeve shiny navy leotard, Biles had her braided roots pulled back and held by a black scrunchie.
Some hair strands were pinned while some ends stuck out of her hair bun.
She sported a similar hairstyle in her patriotic red white and blue leotard while demonstrating her skills on the uneven bars and balance beam at Tuesday's competition.
This was not the first time the eight-time gold medalist clapped back at trolls who gave unsolicited thoughts on her hair during competitions.
She told Elle she was finally "learning to love" her hair after constantly worrying about how her hair did not look professionally maintained.
“But I’m not embarrassed about it anymore," she told the beauty magazine.
Biles explained:
“Most of the backlash we get is from our own community, which is unfortunate."
Here is just an example of the criticisms she still receives.
Biles added:
“I don’t really care if my edges aren’t smooth.”
She also mentioned how her grueling Olympic schedule prevents her from focusing on styling her hair but found that seeking guidance on social media was helpful.
“We’ve been able to take care of our hair better and take care of our beauty routines better, because it’s self-taught,” she said. “It’s really special that we have access to those platforms.”
However, Biles understands that using her phone in moderation works best.
“Limiting social media and stuff like that is going to be (important)," she said in another interview with Today.
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