Simone Biles is asking viewers of the 2024 Paris Olympics to keep their comments about her hair to themselves.
The seven-time Olympic medalist took to Instagram Stories on Tuesday, July 30, to address the issue. Biles, 27, shared two posts featuring herself and fellow Olympians enduring a 45-minute bus ride amidst the intense heatwave currently sweeping through Paris. In the video, Biles can be seen using a handheld fan in an attempt to stay cool as temperatures soared to a scorching 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 the bus has NO AC & it’s like 9,000 degrees.”
She followed up with a photo of herself smiling in a black tank top, eyes closed, reiterating the message that commenting on someone’s hair is never appropriate—regardless of the weather conditions.
“Gonna hold your hand when I say this,” she wrote, “next time you want to comment on a Black girl’s hair, JUST DON’T.”
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Biles, the most awarded gymnast in history with 37 medals across the Olympics and various competitions, has long been the subject of unwanted remarks about her hair.
In a recent interview with Elle published on July 17, she discussed how she has come to embrace her hair over the years.
“I used to worry about [my hair being considered] not professional,” Biles shared. “But I’m not embarrassed about it anymore.”
She noted that much of the criticism she receives comes from within the Black community, which she finds particularly disheartening. “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 of her haircare routine has significantly boosted her confidence. She attributes part of this empowerment to the wealth of beauty tutorials available from Black content creators, who provide advice on products and styles.
“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.”
Despite facing both the physical and social challenges, Biles is currently making history once again at the Olympics. Even after tweaking her calf during warmups on Sunday, July 28, she qualified for the individual event finals for balance beam, floor, and vault. Her impressive score of 59.566 in qualifiers also secured her spot in the Olympic all-around competition.
Simone Biles continues to be an inspiring figure, not only for her athletic prowess but also for her resilience and commitment to self-acceptance in the face of criticism.
