The Hair Issue

Whether kinks or curls, locs, fades, tight waves or straight tresses, as a human being, hair helps define who you are as an individual. As a woman, doing your hair or having it done is part of helping you relax, decompress...makes you feel more like a lady. But as an African American woman, it seems more like a requirement. Some of my earliest memories as a child are in the hair salon, whether I was getting my finger waves poppin at age 7 or listening to celebrity gossip and Maury or Ricki Lake while my mama got her 'do popped for the week, the hair salon is as much of a tradition for Black women as the "Barbah shop" (in my Cedric the Entertainer Voice) is for Black men. Hair is part of individual expression for anyone of any race, creed or color. Like the long haired hippies of the 60s, dreaded Rastafarians, or gumbied, blonde highlighted, faded heads of today's hipsters, hair helps you identify with a group; or at least, identify you, with yourself.
But when you're 16, in Great Britain winning Gold Medals for your country, doing something no other Black woman has ever done ever in the history of the world, why do people care so much about your HAIR?!
Gabriel Christina Victoria Douglas, or Gabby as she is affectionately called across the country and around the world, was chosen as THEE U.S. hopeful for attaining a gold medal in women's gymnastics. And not only did she show up, she showed OUT, winning an individual all around gold medal and helping her team win a gold medal in the same Olympic Games.
My question is: How was she supposed to wear her hair? Box braids so they could slap her in the face? A fresh doobie so she couldn't see the bars? FINGER WAVES?!
C'mon son.
And since all of her team had their hair the same way like most of the gymnasts that didn't have a bowl cut, whattttt were you expecting? Were her hair clips excessive? Absolutely! And mine would be as well if  I had to fly across a balance beam, spread eagle, upside down. Last thing I would want is my pink oil moisturized bang laying in my eye and I'm out here chasing my dreams. If your grudge was with her edges, try working out for hours on end, perm or not, and get back to me about how your edges look. AND on top of that, when if I work out, both of my feet are on the ground and only come up for the occasional jumping jack, and though I may not have hair clips lined up across my head like a custom fit headband, I may start soon! The truth is my head is just too big for headbands and the fact that I still try to wear them is probably a sin somewhere.
But I digress.
Gabriel Douglas made history. She had a lifelong dream, created a plan, and saw it through at 16 years old. That in itself is more than most people including myself can say for themselves. The only thing that should be up for discussion is why she's the only woman of any color representing for us and how we can change that. (Recently engaged) Dominique Dawes and the Magnificent 7 were the dream team of gymnastics when I was little, now young girls can look up to Gabby and the Fab 5.
Before you work so hard to focus on someone's physical attributes or search for their short comings, look at what they are doing and how humble they are while doing it.

dig and be dug...