Simone Biles has shared the perfect clapback after she received messages of criticism for her hair while competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The superstar gymnast, 27, put on an incredible performance on Tuesday (July 30) as she led Team US to a gold medal, the fourth in US history.
She also made history as the most-decorated American gymnast after bagging her eighth Olympic medal.
And while her gravity-defying moves and athleticism captivated most people, a few were more fixated on what her hair was doing instead.
One person wrote: "I’m just trying to figure out why Simone Biles hair never done ? Like girllll come on. STILL LOVE HER AND HOPE SHE DOES GREAT !"
Another added: "Simone Biles = flawless. Her hair, not so much."
Simone herself took to social media to address the ridiculous fixation on her hair, writing alongside a clip of her fanning herself in the team bus: "Don’t come for me about my hair.
"IT WAS DONE but bus has no AC and it’s like 9,000 degrees. Oh and a 45-minute ride."
She then added: "Gonna hold your hand when I say this. Next time you wanna comment on a Black girl’s hair. JUST DON’T."
Fans were quick to defend the star, writing: "The fact that Simon Biles even has to comment on her hair bc people were saying how 'bad' it looked when she was competing, is insane. y’all need to leave my girl ALONE. she’s doing big things, you’re not. worry about yourself please and thank you."
Others added: "Y’all really worried about Simone Biles hair while she out there getting flips named after her and making history", and: "Imagine being the kind of person who watches Simone Biles perform moves that no one else can do, twirl in the air multiple times and land on her two feet...only to comment on her hair! Imagine having that mentality?"
Another commented: "If you notice Simone Biles's hair when she does stuff so epic that they have to warn judges in advance that they've never seen it before, you notice the wrong dang thing."
Simone and the rest of Team USA - which included Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Sunisa Lee and Jade Carey - put on an impressive performance and added to her massive collection of medals, which now stands at five gold medals, one silver, and two bronzes.
It's not the first time Simone has felt compelled to address the comments about her hair, as she told Elle earlier in the month: "We’ve [Black women] have been able to take care of our hair better and take care of our beauty routines better, because it’s self-taught. It’s really special that we have access to those platforms.
"I used to worry about [my hair being considered] not professional. But I’m not embarrassed about it anymore."
She added: "Most of the backlash we get is from our own community, which is unfortunate. I don’t really care if my edges aren’t smooth."
