What’s the Fuss Over Gabby Douglas’ Hair?

By Ariana Romero

Gabby Douglas is awesome. She makes flipping around in the air 28 times look so easy. It’s even more amazing that she rocks those skintight leotards. How does the adorable 16 year old “Flying Squirrel” do it?

Well, some people are more concerned with how Gabby does her hair than her medal-winning moves. Twitter has been flooded with users displeased with the two-time gold winner’s appearance. Apparently her “gel residue” or the “beady beads” took away from her literally awe inspiring skills. Luckily, the judges weren’t so critical.

I’m Latina. I’ve had a weave. My cork-screw curls are a constant concern for me. It’s not like I’ve never had experience with unruly hair. But, I’ve also never tried to do crazy back-handspring flippy-things that Gabby does on a daily basis. I would assume she’s sweating during that, and that tends to mess with a girl’s hair no matter what.

Gabby is the first African-American to wind all-around gold ever. She did that by not worrying about her lovely locks, keeping it down with some cute clips (seems aerodynamic to me!) and giving every routine her all. If she had been thinking about how looked instead of how she performed, I doubt America would be bringing home another gold. I for one love being at the top of the medal count.

I’m so glad to say that Twitter also came out to support her. Check out some of the heartwarming, supportive tweets below!

[Lead image via thegrio.com]