Dear Readers,
Below AOL from the Huffington Post regarding Gabby Douglas Hair …It originally struck me one way as, oh how I wish all girls would have Gabby Douglas attitude. But then it struck me in a different way (confirmed by her mother’s comments) which is the bigger story a story all about the perfect example of the ugly, the jealous and the stupid.
LONDON — Women’s gymnastics all-around champion Gabby Douglas likes her hairstyle just fine, thanks.
The 16-year-old said Sunday she was a little confused when she logged onto her computer after winning her second gold medal in three days and discovered people were debating her pulled-back look.
“I don’t know where this is coming from. What’s wrong with my hair?” said Douglas, the first U.S. gymnast to win gold in team and all-around competition. “I’m like, `I just made history and people are focused on my hair?’ It can be bald or short, it doesn’t matter about (my) hair.”
Douglas uses gel, clips and a ponytail holder to keep things in place while she competes, a style she’s worn for years.
“Nothing is going to change,” she said. “I’m going to wear my hair like this during beam and bar finals. You might as well just stop talking about it.”
The bubbly teenager is the first African-American gymnast to win her sport’s biggest prize. She had no idea she was lighting up social media until she Google herself hours after winning her gold medal.
“I don’t think people should be worried about that,” she said. “We’re all champions and we’re all winners. I just say that it’s kind of, a stupid and crazy thought to think about my hair.”
-Huffington Post
But then a few days later her Mother Natalie Hawkins spoke out:
“How ignorant is it of people to comment on her hair and she still has more competitions to go. Are you trying to ruin her self confidence?” Hawkins told Fashionista.com. “She has to go out there and feel good about herself, and if she feels good about herself on that floor, who are you to criticize her? What have you done to help contribute to her dream, that you felt it necessary to put it out there so that she could see it.”
And Hawkins adds there’s more to why her daughter’s hair may look unkempt to the critics (who Hawkins assesses have mostly been African American women).
“She lives with a white host family and they don’t know anything about taking care of her hair,” said Hawkins. “And there’s no black salons in their area [in Iowa] –- not one. We had to work really hard to find a stylist to come and do her hair.”
“Gabby’s coach Liang Chow agrees. He told Hawkins — “She’s beautiful. You don’t need to change her hair. We need to focus on training. Hair is secondary.”
Here is the bigger story, Why does our society feel it is OK to criticize others for doing nothing wrong but yet a man who shoots innocent victims in a movie theater is called “an alleged shooter” commanding more respect then a hard working 16 year old girl who has sacrificed so much to represent her country with honor and dignity.
It is NOT OK for people to attack young girls about their appearance much less the ones who have made wonderful choices in life and who are doing incredible things to better their life and others! They put themselves out for the world to see without any guarantees? Trying their hardest in front of millions to witness the slightest error and never to be forgotten, now that takes guts that only a few own!
Let me make myself perfectly clear, it is NOT OK to say what ever you want just because it is on your brain, you need a filter between your brains and your mouth and people should rise up and protect others from the jealous, the greedy and the envious… This only comes from minds that hate! AND have no place in a (good and decent) society. Mean and critical words breaks hearts, rocks the once confident and jade the young…stand up, unite, do not tolerate the mean and nasty spewing from the entitled and spiteful.
AND by the way…
…Did I have the only Mother in the world that said, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
Personally I never noticed any of the girl’s hair in any of the Olympic events (completely blown over by their ability and everything they did to get to this point) but now that I’m staring at their heads, I think Gabby’s hair and everyone else’s looks great! They all are incredible athletes with a job and a purpose and not one of their responsibilities entails caring about what their hair looks like (thank goodness!)
Asklotta and staff is MINDING YOUR BUSINESS with wide accepting arms for all those who work hard at life, trying their very best to live a life with honor, dignity and completely un-entitled…regardless if they have any hair at all.
Again, it has been my pleasure to tell you what to do and what NOT to do!
Kindest regards,
Asklotta
President and CEO
CBCorp
asklotta 