Hair shaming! Are we really doing this? Are the internet trolls really ignorant enough to judge the appearance of someone’s hair that has made the lifetime accomplishment of competing in the Olympics? My struggling thoughts for the past week!
The Olympics are a series of games where the world’s top athletes compete for the opportunity to win medals while representing their country! I know you know what it is. I am just baffled that the internet is acting as if they don’t. When you take a stab at Gabby Douglas and other women for the appearance of their hair, you hurt all of us.
I mean seriously, I was boiling, 38, big mad when I saw posts speaking on Gabby’s hair AGAIN. I take it personal and so should you if you are an African American woman. I have written about it time and time again. One of the top reasons why black women will not work out is for fear of messing up their hair. When a woman is competing at life (Olympics, WNBA, Hypertension, Diabetes, stress, etc.), she is not expected to look like Cookie on Empire, Olivia Pope on Scandal, or Mary Jane Paul on Being Mary Jane. There is a time and place for everything and BLACK WOMEN: There’s NO Room for Hair Shaming in Fitness!
These are some pictures that I’ve posted on social media!
NO THEY ARE NOT FLATTERING particularly in the area of hair maintenance & I DON’T THINK TWICE ABOUT POSTING THEM!
I always ask people if they don’t mind posing for the after workout glow photo. The purpose for posting these is to encourage someone out there on my timeline. People are encouraged to workout by any number of things (similar build, professions, stage of life, race, HAIR)! It is very important to me to post just as many workout photos as glamorous ones. I want my readers and followers to know that your hair does not have to be SLAYED 100% of the time. That is so unrealistic from a healthcare perspective. The Olympics, gymnasium, your den, the health club are not the venues for the Miss Universe Pageant! Let’s not try to hold people to those standards.
Besides, there’s always the transformation!
Here’s the thing about the transformation….
I found this floating around social media and while I absolutely LOVE IT, it doesn’t paint the true picture.
The truth is, just like you and me, they are women and they have feelings. No matter how many accomplishments that are acheived in the Olympics and for us common folks in life, hair shaming is cruel and it hurts to have people take stabs at your hair.
I encourage everyone before they make a post or comment about someone’s hair to just insert your mama’s name in the subject and test out the visual on your twitter feed before you post it. If it isn’t cute directed toward YO MAMA, I’m pretty sure it’s inappropriate.
Yes we are going there. I am super elated to see women who look like me winning at life and having the platform to encourage others to do the same. I seriously feel like these little Olympic champions are my virtual little sisters. Big sisters come through when the bullies get out of hand! I couldn’t get to Wednesday fast enough to put my two cents in the inter-MESS!
Yours in Healthy, Active, & Prosperous Lifestyles,
Rx Fitness Lady wants to know…
- What is your favorite sport to watch in the Olympics?
- How do you wear your hair while working out?
Rx Fitness Lady
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Hey Joi! I hadn’t heard about this until my daughter mentioned it to me, and like you (when I heard it), I was ticked. But I’ve always said, it’s the small minded people (who have nothing going for themselves) who dwell on craziness like that. It’s such a shame that it’s our own. But I’m so proud of Gabby for remaining above the silliness, showing her maturity, and staying focused on the goal. Oh, and you look fab after your workouts! 😉 Have a good one hontey! 😉 Btw…my favorite sport(s) – gymnastics and track & field.
Michell Pulliam recently posted…Launch Day!
I’m proud of her too. That was a tough task with all the criticisms! She is still a class A role model for little girls and young women in my opinion! Love her to pieces!
Don’t get me started 🙂
Why some people have the values they do, I’ll never understand, but they just do. I wish one day humanity would become aware and awake from its foolishness.
Having long hair and being a surgeon has caused me some grief. My dad once said to me, “You are a great surgeon, why don’t they focus on what’s in your head rather than what’s on it.” So it goes.
The shaming anything is getting out of hand period. But when people went there again on hair I just rolled my eyes. It used to be all fun and games to talk about characters on tv and be catty about who looked like what and now there’s so much reality tv people just think they can shame anybody in social media like they aren’t a real person. I hate that. Anyway got off on a tangent but yeah I hate that. I try to workout five times a week. My hair looks nice on Friday’s, Saturday’s and Sunday’s. After Monday’s sweat it goes in a ponytail for the week with the hopes that I can make it to Friday before I shampoo it again. Oh and my favorite Olympic sport to “plan” to watch is Track.
Kenya G. Johnson recently posted…This is going to hurt me more…
I had a similar regimen with my straight hair, enjoy it for the long weekend then back to the business at hand.
Wait, people HAIR SHAME?! Oh man, this is a new low. And absolutely ridiculous. I have zero words. I am ashamed of people who make fun of others in general – but really, to go as low as to make fun of people’s hair is on a whole other level. And um, if you’re hair looks good at the gym, NOPE – you’re not working out hard enough LOL!!!
GiGi Eats recently posted…What Would You DO OVER?