Simone Biles has hit back at trolls who have criticised her wedding hairstyle.
The Olympic gymnast, 26, married NFL star Jonathan Owens, 27, in Texas on Saturday and later shared a series of images on Instagram from the nuptials.
And while of Simone’s followers gushed over her stunning Selfie Leslie bridal dress and sweet photos, others tore into her slicked back ponytail.
Cruel critics said the Olympian’s hair looked ‘unkempt’ and some said she ‘should have laid her edges’ – despite the ongoing movement encouraging Black women to embrace their natural hair texture.
The topic soon began trending on Twitter as many defended her, with Simone also firing back.
After one fan wrote: ‘Simone Biles is one of THE top gymnasts we’ve ever seen, has overcame situations of abuse and other obstacles in her childhood, has defined her own success and found love and is now happily married… And y’all worried about her hair….?!’.
Simone replied: ‘I think they also forget I live in HOUSTON TEXAS & I sweat those out!! soon as we stepped outside for pics. But they can keep complaining idc idc idc.’
Fans told the bride she ‘looked absolutely beautiful’ and urged her to ‘ignore the noise’.
One wrote: ‘Congratulations. Just do your thing and ignore them.’
Another follower added: ‘You looked beautiful. Don’t listen to any of that noise. Continue to be the amazing woman and amazing role model you are to the younger generation following in your footsteps. Congratulations, beautiful!’
A third chimed: ‘What’s insane is that your hair looks great and all I pid attention to at first was how sweet the photos were!!’
They tried this s**t with Gabby Douglas and now Simone Biles. It sounds like self-hate and anti-Blackness to me. Folks think textured hair is bad, and Black women’s hair should be super straight with no kinks or curls. Simone Biles’s hair is fine. Let Black girls live’, another wrote.
In the US, there is an ongoing movement to encourage Black women to embrace their natural hair.
In 2019, California became the first state to ban the racial discrimination of natural hair in the workplace and in schools.
