On Gabby Douglas and Black Hair Politics

Black hair is really complicated. And like so many other complicated things it's rooted in our history, in white supremacy, in white standards of beauty, in respectability politics - but also some positive things like black pride, black innovation, and black entrepreneurs. It's REALLY complicated. (And this isn't just an American issue - this is an issue throughout the African diaspora and even in Africa. All a result of white supremacy.)

In the US, looking presentable, looking your best, presenting yourself well, etc. has historically been so important for black acceptance and even SURVIVAL. Over the years with conks, curls, texturizers, and relaxers, black people (men included, but especially women) have done extreme damage to our hair - and to our self esteem, sense of self, and self knowledge - by attempting to get as far away from our own natural textures as possible, and achieve European looks and standards of beauty.

That's why the natural hair movement has been so big and so important. It's about much more than hair. There are women who never learned how to manage their own hair texture, who never knew what it was because they started getting chemicals treatments at such a young age. Think about that - people who have no idea what their own hair is like, much less how to manage it. Add to the chemicals damaging wigs and weaves.

You have two or three generations in which a lot of people believed that black hair simply couldn't grow, and those who DID grow long hair were admired more. Those who didn't were often ridiculed and picked on, especially as kids and teens. That's why it's so cool to see kids like Willow Smith who will chop their hair off without a thought. On the other hand, that's why so many people from our parents' and grandparents' generations took so long to accept natural hair, and why so many still haven't. There's historically been an obsession with long hair and with curly and straighter hair types ("good hair"). So this thing with Gabby is not new or specific to her, nor is it totally the community's fault. She hasn't been taught to properly care for her hair and the sight of that still makes us cringe.

Someone could easily help her [and Simone Biles] care for her hair, ideally in its natural state, or with neat weaves or extensions, as opposed to people just ridiculing them on the internet. There have been some times when she's not competing when it has looked very nice (as in the picture below). But I'm sure that in some of the areas where they travel to train and compete, and with their circles and schedules, black hairstylists might not be easy to find. But people need to realize that their hair doesn't add to or take away from their value as humans, role models, and athletes, regardless.

There's still a stereotype that black women can't or won't workout or do certain activities because of our hair. But many black women swim, workout, and play sports regularly. A few appointments with a black stylist or even watching Youtube videos can help those who just aren't good with hair and can't figure it out.

But even now black kids are being told they can't wear their natural hair in schools, black women are being told that they can't wear their natural hair at work, black women just had to fight the military to change their policies on hair. Even today - human beings are being told that their hair, as it grows, is not professional, not appropriate, not acceptable. So of course there's a complex.

What bothers me is that people can't seem to stop talking about it and they do so in such a harsh manner, even after Gabby faced this in such a terrible way a few years ago. It's hurtful and publicly it looks very shallow, even though it's quite deep. You don't have to say everything you think. And even when people do criticize her, they act as if they don't LIKE her, as if she's a bad person, as if she's not a CHAMPION, and most importantly as if she's not a human being with feelings. That's where my problem is. Particularly since black athletes already deal with such heavy criticism of their bodies and their skill, even when they dominate a sport like she has done.

I wrote about this in a [very informal] Facebook note back in 2012 during the last Olympics. It's not shocking, but still sad, that we're still talking about this.

It's important to understand the politics of black hair when judging those judging her. That's really why I wrote this. But she has enough to deal with - overt and covert racism and sexism, and just the stress of the sport. People - ESPECIALLY black people - need to be in her corner.