While Gabby Douglas helped the U.S. Gymnastics team win a gold medal, people railed on her (again) because of her hair.
Gabby Douglas is pretty af but her hair…
— 1011Keelo™ (@1011Keelo) August 7, 2016
nah but fr tho, why Gabby Douglas hair not done?
— ♻️ (@ohmy_miranda) August 8, 2016
Gabby Douglas make me so mad w her hair like dang.
— ♈️ (@Neverlovehardd) August 7, 2016
It didn’t stop there. Many conservatives were furious when Douglas failed to place her hand over her heart during the national anthem.
Wtf was with Gabby Douglas not having her hand over her heart during our fucking NATIONAL ANTHEM?!
— brianna figueroa (@BriannaFig) August 9, 2016
Why the fuck is gabby Douglas not holding her hand over her heart like the rest of the team. Just add that to the list of reasons
— Kristina (@KrisElizabetth) August 9, 2016
So many people were quick to jump on Douglas, claiming that she was intentionally trying to disrespect the USA.
But, why are these people so pressed?
Let’s pretend like Douglas made the intentional choice to not put her hand over her heart while the song played during the medal ceremony. Don’t forget, this song was written while black people were considered 3/5ths human. Why is Douglas expected to pledge her allegiance to a country that does not value the lives of people that look like her? Her country is racist, classist, xenophobic, and transphobic. Not pledging allegiance to a country that devalues black lives is not totally insane.
Douglas later issued an apology on Twitter.
But, for some, her apology was too much.
@gabrielledoug There is NO excuse as to why you could not salute the flag of the country that gave you the opportunity to complete #Rio2016
— Angela (@Angipooh) August 10, 2016
Y’all out here tryna make Gabby a black revolutionary meanwhile she’s a full white bread coon who loves AmeriKkka pic.twitter.com/TOAsT27TCs
— Gazi Kodzo (@GaziKodzo) August 10, 2016
Why won’t y’all leave this woman alone?
Douglas has accomplished more than most people ever will. She is already an inspiration to many young black girls. Tearing Douglas down because of her hair or her accidental rejection of the national anthem is monumentally stupid. We live in a time where black people must stand strong together. We have to love and support each other.
Douglas was not the only black woman criticized this week. Malia Obama was slammed for smoking (an act also known as being a teenager) and Sasha Obama was chastised for having a summer job in Martha’s Vineyard. And, Simone Biles was oddly profiled by journalists who cling to the story of white saviorism.
It’s like we can’t win.
We are either too smart, too dark, or too loud to be respected. Let us live. And please, for the love of God, please leave black women alone and let us flourish.
