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Dave Hogan / NBC News
Gabby Douglas and her mom, Natalie Hawkins, on TODAY after Team USA's gold-medal win.
Just before the scoreboard showed that Gabby Douglas had won the gold in individual gymnastics last week, her mom Natalie Hawkins had only one reaction: relief. It was relief that came after ten years of training, after her daughter said she dreamt of being an Olympian, and after she let her daughter move away from home at 14 to chase her dreams.
The relief didn't last long, as Hawkins soon found herself defending her daughter's hair, which had been swiftly criticized for being both “unkempt” and “embarrassing” very soon after Douglas made Olympic history.
In an interview with gymnastics gold medalist Dominique Dawes, Hawkins said when she first saw the comments she was confused. "Because I was looking at the pictures and I was like, 'I'm missing it,' because I don't see what they're talking about. I mean, she doesn't have fly-aways all sticking out, it's not like it's all over her head. It's pulled back into a ponytail."
Ronald Martinez / Getty Images
Gabby Douglas has been deflecting online commentary about her hair.
Hawkins went on to describe the specific way gymnasts must tie their hair back so that it doesn't interfere with their tumbling.
As her daughter competed, Hawkins thought of Douglas sharing a place in the history books alongside Dawes, who was the first African-American woman to win an individual Olympic medal in gymnastics. Hawkins told Dawes that when she imagined Gabby winning the gold she thought of her sharing "that amazing feat with people like the likes of you, and so that was exciting for me to know, that she would be counted on a level and in a category with you and all the other gymnastic greats."
She was not considering her daughter's ponytail.
According to Dawes, it shouldn't be a consideration. "As an athlete you are not focused on your appearance or you're not going to make those achievements," she said.
The attention over Douglas's hair gained ground once it hit Twitter. One user tweeted, “I love Gabby Douglas, but I'm mad at whoever keeps letting her wear that half wig and that silky ponytail on the back of some nappy hair.” Another suggested she did not belong on camera.
If Douglas has been fazed she hasn’t shown it, continuing to wear her hair the same way throughout the games. Fans have encouraged her along the way, many coming to her defense. TODAY's Al Roker tweeted Tuesday, "Anybody who has a problem w/Gabby Douglas' hair needs to sit down and be quiet. Enjoy and focus on the accomplishments."
When Hawkins spoke about the hair controversy to Fashionista.com, she said that she herself was once guilty of prioritizing her daughter's hair before her training, and had to be reminded that it had nothing to do with her career. “It was actually her coach who told me that,” she said. “I was trying to get her into a hair appointment and I wanted to move her training schedule around and he said to me, ‘She’s beautiful. You don’t need to change her hair. We need to focus on training.’"
Douglas lives and trains in Des Moines, Iowa, with a host family, Hawkins reminded Fashionista.com. "She lives with a white host family and they don’t know anything about taking care of her hair," she said. "And there’s no black salons in their area — not one. We had to work really hard to find a stylist to come and do her hair... It’s really been African-American women that have come out and attacked her. They don’t know about gymnastics. She has to keep her hair in a ponytail 28-30 hours a week."
Hair, especially among African-American women, has long been a cause of contentious discussion. As TODAY.com reported last week, media queen Oprah recently went au naturel for the cover of her magazine's September issue, which hits the stands today. The cover has sparked everything from widespread support to accusations that she isn’t wearing her real hair.
Douglas herself has summed up the controversy, echoing her mom’s statements in an interview with the Associated Press. "'I just made history and people are focused on my hair? It can be bald or short; it doesn't matter about (my) hair,'" she said.
More: Gabby Douglas: Gold medals are made of sweat, blood and tears
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Golden Gabby! Read Shawn Johnson's analysis of gymnastics all-around finals
TODAY Moms: Sweet photo of white dad doing black daughter's hair goes viral
Leave a Comment:
She is adorable! Enough said.
Really, there is a controversy over her hair, this is the first I've heard about it. Now I did notice that NBC saw fit to mention her mother money problems, and they didn't wait to long to broadcast the news about her individual event losses. I wonder why NBC feels the need to do negative articles about her......
Only jealous people would make negative comments about her. Glad to see most of posters back her look.
Now for those that don't like her hair, let's compare Gabby's muscle to body fat ratio to your muscle to body fat ratio and we'll see which is the embarrassment.
ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE, who critize Gabby on her hair OR TEETH. get a freakin grip and a grip on life and reality and stop judging her and everyone else. take a good long look in the damned mirror at yourself before going and judging anyone else on their appearance! Miss Gabby is a very beautiful and talented young lady who is achieving her goals! can those of you who are judging her on her teeth and hair same the same damned thing? so leave her alone, let her concentrate and focus on the olympic games and achieve and accomplish what she has gone there to do! she looks great, and is fine as she is. everyone has their own look and style and personality so get over it ya bunch of dumb people who have nothing better to do the put down someone else because they dont look like what ya think they should!
Really, seriously, this is what people have to gripe about in the world today? Gabby's hair? She did a tremendous job.... get over yourselves.
It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant some people are.
When a talented young woman is critized about her "hair" during a sporting event; it is not only rude but displays predjudice also.
So much hatred in the world even at international events.
Gabby you are very gifted and also attractive; who ever is making these comments I would bet is racist and or jeolous and can't deal with you being in the top of your field.
Don't worry about your hair Gabby. You are adorable. Us white folks know nothing about it. You look just fine to me and are probably the most incredible athlete I have ever watched. Thank you.
If those "style" magazines were filled with girls like Gabby instead of the brainless, talentLESS girls that they are now, I would let my girls read them.
The people who are commenting on the girls hair (or any OTHER physical attribute) are most likely the same people who read the "style" (trash) magazines.....and aspire to be just like the girls in them....lol....NOTHING......but with "cute" hair.
BTW.....I'm pretty sure when they put her in Olympic history....her hair won't be commented about......and all the people worried about her hair....oh wait....they will still be nothing.
I looks to me that all the ladies have their hair pulled back.The today show should never have posted this,people who say dumb things like this should be ignored.I even feel I should not fall into their trap.Don't like don't look.
For everyone who has a problem with Gabby's hair please share how you wore your hair when you won an Olympic medal? Hmmmm... didn't think so! Go Gabby!
i think its awesome that she made history and won GOLD!!!! i wear my hair in a pony tail every day and it don't even look half as good as her did....who cares what your hair looked like, you won (and no one criticizing it can say that.)
I'm so confused...I actually opened this to see if at some point she looked offensive or something. Not only does her hair look fine, it's a ponytail...but African Americans on the whole don't have overly shiny/sleek hair. And, uh...duh...she IS african american. I think this is stupid and if the comments are truly from mostly african americans...shame on you! And, not only is she a beautiful and talented young lady she seems to have an amazing faith and character...you can't buy, train, or fake that!
ARE YOU F_*&#^@ KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!! An African American makes history and her hair and looks become a story? Get it straight I am black. This beautiful young lady made on of the greatest accomplishments in the olympics -team gold and all-around gold (which is the most coveted accomplishment one can do in these games) and you idiots go to twitter to talk about her hair??? My God, Twitter certainly shows how ignorant, mean, selfish and unashamed people are. Instead of sending congradualations and support to Gabby, you show how stupid you are by talking about something that has nothing to do with what she accomplished. While you sorry asses are sitting there criticizing, she is on her way to making millions in endorsements - hair and all! So why don't you keep you ignorant a$$ comments off twitter and show a little love and support.
And so, today, we have a young athlete that has competed in the olympics representing the United States of America, won gold medals for her efforts and we are talking about her hair. HER HAIR? how flippen stupid is that? Would it matter if she were bald?
Gabby, I applaud you, the world applauds you, your country applauds you, not for your hair, but rather for your dedication and determination, your desire to be the best that you could be. You exceeded expectations and have prover yourself to be an incredible young woman. Please do not let superficial idiots detract from your accomplishments.
Thank you for who you are, thank your parents for who they are and thank God that you've represented the United States in such a classic way.
What? I'm shocked. Athletes, specifically the gymnasts, have so much pressure already to be tiny and perfect. Why put all the emphasis on her hair and teeth? The important part is her performance. Did you want the girl to show up in cornrows?
How petty and cruel it is to criticize Gabby's hair when it actually is very neat and tidy.
I think Gabby looks fine. She is an athlete and not a fashion model. Her hair looks fine. She is doing serious gymnastics, flips, tumbling, etc. Black women should be proud of Gabby Douglas and quit focusing on stupid stuff like hair. The idiots who said those mean things about Gabby are just jealous because they will probably never achieve anything in life except for spending tons of money on their hair and listening to vulgar hip hop music. Most of them are probably morbidly obese and cannot even walk to the bus stop without become short of breath.
Your last sentence about the morbidly obese is also not necessary Sharonkaylew. Very poor. Who are we to judge anybody fat, skinny, plain looking, beautiful. They all have feelings
Really, this is all you have to say about her story?! OMG, her hair is hers, it is real, and so is she! They won the lottery, I just get tired of the media pushing the poor minority story, they spent hundreds of thousands on a dream, not a guarantee of payback, not the obama " you did not earn it" bull crap, she earned it, so did her mom and her siblings, and she owes Obama nothing, the Gov,. would have regulated her out of completion if they had skin in the game! However, the hangers on will bilk her of every dime she makes!
Gabby is adorable and just happens to be an Olympian !!! She is a beautiful young lady and anyone that attacks her hair is jealous and nothing more than a school yard bully.
REALLY...are you kidding me...it's hair people...Gabby did an AMAZING job. Get a life!!
REALLY...are you kidding me...it's hair people...Gabby did an AMAZING job...get a life!
whats wrong with gabbys hair
The people making the negative comments about her hair would only be happy if her hair was in some sort of black hairstyle, one that takes hours to complete and looks silly in my opinion.
The irony here is that Gabby is black, her mom, her siblings and Gabby bet the farm on her going to the Olympics and gold! they spent their own money, risk everything, and there was no government help, no roads, no bridges, do you think Obama dares say " you did not do it on your own"!!!??? BS, they did it on their own with help from friends and coaches, but in the end she will lose it all to hangers on who suck the money out of the producers for freebies! the demonrats will steal her money.
Such superficial remarks her hair? Good heavens you all should have been watching what she was doing not her hair. You did a great job Gabby don't pay any attention to those remarks.