Simone Biles, the seven-time Olympic medalist, has a message for viewers of the 2024 Paris Olympics: keep your comments about her hair to yourselves. On Tuesday, July 30th, Biles took to Instagram Stories to share a glimpse of her and fellow Olympians enduring a 45-minute bus ride in the sweltering Paris heatwave.
In the video, Biles, 27, can be seen using a handheld fan to stay cool as temperatures in the City of Light soared to a scorching 95°F. With her hair pulled back into a ponytail, she captioned the video, “Don’t come for me about my hair. It was done, but the bus has no AC and it’s like 9,000 degrees.”
Following her initial post, Biles shared a photo of herself smiling in a black tank top, eyes closed, seemingly unbothered by the heat or any potential comments. She took the opportunity to remind her followers that it’s never acceptable to comment on someone’s hair, regardless of the weather conditions. “Going to hold your hand when I say this,” she wrote, “next time you want to comment on a black girl’s hair, just don’t.”
As the most decorated gymnast in history, with 37 medals from the Olympics and other competitions, Biles has faced numerous unsolicited remarks about her hair over the years. In a recent interview with Elle, published on Wednesday, July 17th, she candidly discussed her journey to embracing her natural 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.”
Biles acknowledged that much of the criticism comes from within her own community, which she finds unfortunate. “I don’t really care if my edges aren’t smooth,” she stated, emphasizing that she’s found confidence in taking control of her hair care routine. Access to beauty tutorials from Black content creators has been particularly empowering for her. “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 explained. “It’s really special that we have access to those platforms.”
With her candidness and resilience, Biles continues to inspire and advocate for self-acceptance, reminding everyone that beauty comes in all forms.
