As a Black woman, learning to love and embrace our hair is a rite of passage, and Simone Biles is exemplifying this journey.
In a July interview with Elle, the world-class gymnast discussed the backlash she’s faced over her hairstyles, particularly noting past worries about her hair being seen as “unprofessional” in the gym.
Growing up, Biles shares that her demanding schedule as an elite gymnast didn't allow much time to learn how to do her own hair; often going to salons for convenience. “Nobody taught me [how to do my hair],” she told the publication. “I always went to the professionals.”
Thanks to the help of social media and YouTube, Biles learned the basis of haircare and styling; emphasizing the value of these platforms in elevating better self-care and beauty routines. “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 says. “It’s really special that we have access to those platforms.”
As a 4-time Olympic gold medalist, gymnastics remains her top priority, still, Biles shares that a recent interest in haircare has become a fun way to express herself. “I never thought about my hair like the way other people see it,” she says.
While in Paris, Biles says that her hairstyles will be based on maintenance needs, product availability, and of course, practicality. “I don’t want my extensions falling out or this that [and] the other,” she says, since, “We don’t get to bring a makeup artist or a hairstylist.”
If you thought leaps and flips were the only talents that Biles and her Team USA teammates shared, add hair styling to the mix. Jordan Chiles, also competing in the Paris Olympic Games, is said to double as her teammates’s “unofficial” hairstylist. “She’s the [hair] braider on the team,” Biles says. “We can all go to her for braids.”
This teamwork extends to beauty preparations, with all five gymnasts sharing the responsibility of bringing different beauty items to the Games. Biles notes the importance of not overusing hair products during competitions to avoid flaking and dirt. “When we put it together, we got everything we need,” Biles says. “You don’t want to put too much product in your hair to the point where it starts flaking and gets dirty,” she explains. Proving that teamwork does, in fact, make the dream work.
When you’re winning gold medals, having new gravity-defying routines named after you, and singlehandedly redefining the sport of gymnastics simply based on your athleticism, who has time for criticism about hair? While it was once an insecurity for Biles, she says, now, she’s just not worried about it.
“I used to worry about [my hair being considered] not professional,” she says. “But I’m not embarrassed about it anymore.”
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Featured image by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
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