If you’re wondering why “Simone Biles hair” is trending, then be prepared to be disappointed in humanity, because it’s for all the wrong reasons.
Sports royalty, award winning and record breaking, four-time Olympic gold medalist gymnast Simone Biles, with her sexy AF CV, has just got legally married to the man of her dreams, but instead of discussing how happy she looked, and how radiant her skin is, the internet was hellbent on discussing the ‘state of her hair’?
It’s no secret that Black women’s hair has been a topic of conversation since the beginning of time. Its complexity is fascinating to many, and internalised misogyny, entrenched European beauty standards and colourism all factor into how Black women's hair is a high point of criticism, even within our own communities.
Hair discrimination has clearly been rampant in western society for a very long time, and systematically entrenched in schools, in the workplace, you name it. Black women have always been judged by how our coils intertwine and how we choose to present ourselves to the world with them. So much so, that we have to create laws around hair discrimination to protect us from it.
The CROWN Act is a California law which prohibits discrimination based on hair style and hair texture. It is the first legislation passed at the state level in the United States to prohibit such discrimination and its impact has inspired laws across the UK too. In fact, the Equality and Human Rights Commission had released resources back in 2022 that strictly outlined that “uniform and appearance policies that ban certain hairstyles, without the possibility for exceptions to be made on racial grounds, are likely to be unlawful.” Although this is not a law, it’s a step forward. So how are we still seeing Black women being scrutinised by how our hair naturally grows out of our heads.
When I first saw Simone’s courthouse ceremony pictures drop, my first thought ‘Wow, she looks so happy’. I knew she’d met her boo, and now husband on a dating app, and I was overjoyed to see a fellow Black girl who’s dedicated her whole life to her job, finally have the opportunity to focus on building her family. I was shocked that so many people chose to look past her infectious smile, and instead zoom-in on the picture to criticise the natural nature of her afro hair.
One user on Twitter wrote: “she coulda at least got a lace front for her wedding like”. Others commented on how she “refuses to lay down her edges” and with “all the money she’s got, she could afford a hairstylist that didn’t hate her”, and the comments didn’t stop there. Many of which have now been deleted.
The fact that Simone is one of the most decorated female athletes in US history is nothing to scorn at, and it’s fair to note that even if she wasn’t an Olympic gold medalist, she is still not fair game for criticism involving her appearance. However there is something to say about the lack of protection and safeguarding of Black women in the media.
Simone, is not the first person to encounter this, her peer, and fellow gymnast Gabby Douglas went through the same level of online bullying for her hair during the height of her career. The criticism they both received all around how they may, or may not have laid their baby hairs down, is uncalled for, and perhaps something that familiar to many Black women.
The worst part about this is that, this level of scrutiny often comes from other Black women who are projecting their own insecurities, and it's also due to texturism – which is the act of discriminating against someone based on their hair texture. At first, all I saw on Twitter and Tiktok was loaded comments from people that clearly needed to be decolonised.
Quickly enough however, users on all social apps quickly rushed to her defence to challenge the prejudice being spewed. “Simone Biles is one of THEE top gymnasts we’ve ever seen, has overcame situations of abuse and other obstacles in her childhood, has defined her own success and found love and is now happily married… And y’all worried about her hair…..?!” says one user. “simone biles gets so much hatred from other BW over her hair, her body type, when she hasn’t done shit. she’s advocated for her fellow gymnasts, stays outta bs, and just celebrated a really big milestone. why do you hate yourselves so much you project onto her??” says another.
Simone, as the bad b that she is, clapped back too, tweeting: “i think they also forget i live in HOUSTON TEXAS & I sweat those out!! soon as we stepped outside for pics. but they can keep complaining idc idc idc”
Perhaps there is something to say about how as a society we should be busy focusing on important things like her remarkable achievements as an athlete and her contributions to the gymnastics world, rather than her appearance. She is a role model for many young athletes around the world, and her success should be celebrated and recognised, regardless of how her baby hairs lay. Congratulations Simone, we think you looked beautiful.
In the voice of the City Girls’ rapper Young Miami: “I do not give one f*cks, two f*cks, red f*cks, blue f*cks, yellow f*cks, about what they think of us…” Same, girl, same.
For more from Glamour UK Beauty Writer Shei Mamona, follow her on Instagram @sheimamona
