Imagine the most decorated gymnast ever having to defend herself against trolls sitting on their couch?
According to PEOPLE Simone Biles is asking 2024 Paris Olympics viewers to keep their comments about her hair to themselves.
The seven-time Olympic medalist shared two Instagram Stories on Tuesday, July 30, featuring her and other Olympians on a 45-minute bus ride amidst the heatwave currently sweeping through Paris.
In the video, Biles, 27, is using a handheld fan to try and keep cool as temperatures in the City of Light have climbed to a sweltering 95 degrees.
“Don’t come for me about my hair,” she captioned the video, in which her hair is pulled back into a ponytail. “IT WAS DONE but bus has NO AC & it’s like 9,000 degrees.”
She followed up her first post with a photo of her smiling with her eyes closed in her blank tank top as she reminded people that it’s never okay to comment on someone’s hair — heatwave or not.
She wrote, “gonna hold your hand when I say this,” before adding, “next time you want to comment on a Black girl’s hair, JUST DON’T.”
Biles, who is the most awarded gymnast in history with 37 medals across the Olympics and competitions, has faced a number of unwanted comments about her hair over the years.
In an interview with Elle published on Wednesday, July 17, she opened up about learning to embrace her hair over the years.
“I used to worry about [my hair being considered] not professional,” she said. “But I’m not embarrassed about it anymore.”
The Olympian added, “Most of the backlash we get is from our own community, which is unfortunate. I don’t really care if my edges aren’t smooth.”
For Biles, taking control over her haircare routine has played a big role in her boosted confidence. Part of that comes from having access to beauty tutorials from Black content creators who discuss products and styles to try.
“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.”
????????????@Simone_Biles pic.twitter.com/11pZXt9wLa
— TINA SNOW (@theestallion) July 30, 2024
and
In a league of her own ???? @Simone_Biles is the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast in history! #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/WwOJdCy60S
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 30, 2024
and
Simone Biles is not a generational talent. She's so good that they had to create a new difficulty level to score her. She has multiple moves named after her. She's not a generational talent. She's the best to have ever existed. And we're all blessed to be able to witness it.
— Brandon Ames (@B_Ames21) July 30, 2024
and
Congrats to the U.S. Women's Gymnastics team for winning gold and to the GOAT @Simone_Biles for becoming the most decorated American gymnast in history! https://t.co/lGuEuGvIjX
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 30, 2024
