Steve Penny of USA Gymnastics presents London 2012 Olympic Gymnastics all-around gold medalist Gabby Douglas with her very own special edition box of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes which will hit stores this Fall, on day 7 of the 2012 London Olympic Games on August 3, 2012 in London, England
*Gabrielle Douglas, who on Thursday became the first African American gymnast to win the all-around event at the Olympics, helped NBC draw 35.7 million viewers, according to fast affiliate numbers. That’s up eight percent from the same night at the Beijing Olympics four years ago.
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Already a team gold medal winner at the London Olympics, the 17-year-old’s win in the prestigious all-around event was significant in several ways: she beat the highly touted Russian favorite, defied those uncertain that she would be able to handle the pressure, and became the first ever person of color to win this event. Needless to say, she has gotten her share of attention online.
Twitter exploded when NBC broadcast her win — even with the tape delay — and she received plenty of shoutouts from celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Gabrielle Union, Michael Phelps, Octavia Spencer, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Snooki, Elizabeth Banks and ultimate Olympic tweeter Samuel L. Jackson, among many others. And that comes in addition to the mention she got from President Obama on Wednesday.
Almost immediately, Kelloggs announced that Douglas would grace the cover of a Corn Flakes box, releasing the mock-up for all to see. It should be one of many promotional materials for the young athlete.
She also published a column with ESPN, giving her first person take on the road to gold.
Gabrielle Douglas of the United States celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Individual All-Around final on Day 6 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at North Greenwich Arena on August 2, 2012 in London, England.
“People have asked if I felt like I was on fire here in London, but I just feel normal, the same as I do every day in practice. The difference has been that I was ready to seize the moment, to focus and to trust in what I can do,” Douglas wrote. “You say you want to do it and you dream about it every day, but then when it happens, it’s hard to believe it really has. Tonight, when the U.S. flag was raised and the national anthem played, there were so many camera flashes going off I felt like I was at a concert.
“And the crazy thing was, they were all taking pictures of me.”
And then there’s this silliness…
There’s a contingent of the black blogosphere that has a problem with Gabby’s hair, significant enough for journalist Alison Samuels to write a column about it in today’s Daily Beast.
Titled, “Gabby Douglas Takes Two Olympic Golds…And Hair Criticism,” the piece points out: “The 4-foot-11 Douglas appears to have chemically relaxed natural hair, to which she has added a human-hair ponytail for height. She apparently then slicks her hair back with a heavy layer of gel to encourage it to stay in place during her high-energy performances.”
The below excerpts from the article seem to encapsulate both sides of the debate.
“I love how she’s doing her thing and winning,’’ says 22-year-old Latisha Jenkins of Detroit told The Daily Beast. “But I just hate the way her hair looks with all those pins and gel. I wish someone could have helped her make it look better since she’s being seen all over the world. She representing for black women everywhere.’”
“Black women can’t win for losing,’’ says Nina Barnes, a 25-year-old semi-pro on the tennis circuit who says she’s struggled with her own hair issues while playing. “You’re out there to compete and prove you have this amazing talent. You do what you can with your hair but it’s not something you worry about too much. You can’t.’’ Barnes, of Las Vegas, says she’s tried several different hairstyles with her medium-length tresses while playing before deciding to just get braids.
SMH! People will nitpick at anything. How is her hair supposed to look? She looks no different
than the other female gymnasts. For the most they have short hair or sport ponytails. She is in a sport where her hair needs to be pinned back. Her hair has nothing to do with her performace. She doesn’t get a score for her hair. Got damn!
This isn’t a fuckin’ beauty pageant! It’s gymnastics! Anyway, congrats again to Gabby for her outstanding performance (I didn’t watch) and her team for winning the gold. They earned it.
Leave the girl’s hair alone geesh. So now she is supposed to be a representation of all black females? Really? Shouldn’t we be representing ourselves ALL of the time in a positive manner? GO GABBY!!!! I just made your box of cornflakes my computer desktop wallpaper and will make sure my girls know that this is what can be achieved despite your upbringing or environment and oh yeah, nappy hair.
This whole hair thing gets on my flippin’ nerves!!! Its always something with us and our hair, why oh why do black women fret so much over how some one else chooses to wear their hair!? First lady Michelle Obama was criticized because her and her daughters hair was bone-straight during the president’s inauguration. Condoleezza Rice (like her or not) caught hell about her hair too. These are highly accomplished women and all these ignorant azzes with an IQ of a door knob out there can do is focus on how this incredible young athlete hair looks!
CONGRATULATIONS Gabby!
W-T-F? HER HAIR?? she is the 2nd A/A to be on the olympic team and her hair is an issue??. and latisha ghetto jenkins probably sports 80in nails and kool aid hair .F**K YOU!!! . . ., you’re the reason we can’t get out of our own way. . . . .GO Gabby
OH MY GOODNESS!!! “latisha ghetto jenkins probably sports 80in nails and kool aid hair” too dang funny.
This is the most nonsense I’ve EVER heard! Her hair is a NON-MUTHFKN FACTOR! That girl just brought home the GOLD in a sport that’s dominated by white females here in the USA and they are hating on her right now and NOW some black people are gonna hate on her hair?? I could care less if she went out there and sported a 1970′s afro! She performed at her best and was rewarded for doing so! That’s why a lot of black women (and I’m black) are so out of shape! The number one reason why black woman say they don’t workout is because of their hair…OR know how to swim. It’s rediculous! GO GABBY!!!
To all who is so critical of Gabby’s hair- which is a non issue…. Let us all see you do what Gabby does with your perfectly relaxed hair with someone’s else’s hair sewn or glued in. Yup get up off your lazy behinds and stop huffing and puddings after walking a half of a block and performs with all the strength, hard work and dedication while living apart from your family to represent YOUR country. As yourselves what have you accomplished at age 17?????
“huffing and puffing”
“Ask yourselves what have you accomplished at age 17?”
We as a people are our own worst enemy!
I agree with everyone’s comments. The main stream media has gotten wind of the controversy and they want ot know what the problem is. Once again some of us black folks have to show their ignorance. WOW!!
Can’t add anything more to what y’all expressed!
IGnant mufkahs I swear!!! But yah know?, what’s reeeeeeally “interesting” about the “Black hair labeled bad hair” issue?, in EVERY other walk of life, in ANY field, regarding EVERY product?, the “strongest & most durable” product or thing is considered ….the “best”. Now, I ask….WTF hair is “stronger than Our’s”!!??? HEHH!!??? AIN’T no GD hair stronger than Our’s!!! So….WTF is “Black” hair not considered the “BEST” hair!!??We reeeeeally should start looking at this “script” more objectively, & realize that we have been manipulated, conditioned & brainwashed against….OURSELVES!!! Everythang “about” EVERYthang “they” have told Us, has been a fkn LIE!! A lie to benefit only ONE fkn person……”the Liar”. Waaaaaaaake UUuUuUUUUP!!!! ( said like L. Fishburne in School Daze!) Chuuuuuuch!
Latisha Jenkins from Detroit…
You are an idiot. You should be ashamed of yourself. Gabby is a sweetheart, a role model and an inspiration. You are just a hoodrat with a quick weave that’s going nowhere fast.
How dare you knock this YOUNG girl. Excuse her for having training and workouts to do. The last thing she is worried about is her hair. You are NOTHING but some fat A$$ heffa who wouldnt know the side effects or working out. Stop embarrasing yourself and go buy some corn flakes with gabby on the box and lose weight… Ol fat back 27 piece hair and wings dummy.
They all have bad hair regardless of race or what country they hail from. But isn’t that to be expected? These girls are flipping from one end of building to the other. Does anyone that is sane actually believe that the concern they would have most is how their hair looked afterwards or before? I believe that she (Gabby) wanted to be in sync with the others on her team. She put HER hair in a ponytail (fake or real). So what? I believe that none of the girls in gymnastics (or any sport) would want their hair flying all over the place, sweating and becoming a major distraction. Anyone who can’t understand that is crazy. She represented the US and Blacks with grace,intelligence, pride and she did her thang!!!! You go Gabby!!!!
Here’s fkn thought!??,…..what if her hair WAS “done”?, but had just “responded” (as “Our” hair does!, wink!) to her focusing & DOING her GD job!!! WTF was she suppose to dooooooo!!???, stop her concentration and go get a fkn….”touch up”!!?? GTFOH!!! And?….what IF these fkd up comments had been made by a White person/people!?? ALL these stupid azzes would’ve been “claaaaaaaiming their “Balckness/culture”, & deFENDing this young lady, just like they do the POTUS when “HE” is attacked by the racist in this country. So….what fkn hypocrites!!!!! I tell yah…”Willie Lynch”?, is STILL alive & unfortunately…..well. SMGDH!!!!
I’m so lost.
Why does everyone have to be all concerned about this athlete’s race? Who cares what color she is! It is amazing for ANYONE to earn the medals she has. No one is saying that black girls cant do gymnastics in the first place. No one is stopping black girls from training or competing either…they just are not choosing to. But Gabby chose to, and we should be more impressed by her accomplishment rather than that she is the first black girl to win the all-around title. Get your heads out of the gutter people! The Olympics is about the USA coming together as a nation and putting forth our best athletes. Appearance is not even a factor. And yes, that includes hair too!
Naaaaaw see, it “is” relevant?, b/c in THIS country?, We as Bkack people are lied on, MISlabed TO THE WORLD!!!,discriminated against and hardly EVER seen as “Americans”! So….for the world & OTHER Bkacks to be reminded that We are NOT WTF “they say” We are?, is a damn “good thang” to make & KEEP …”relevant”. In shorter terms?….any & EVERYtime the “cover” of their lies” can be ripped off dat azz”?, it’s time “”for” dat azz to fkn…..”freeze it’s azz off”!!! And always remember?, it’s “YT” who keeps the “ignorance of this countries past”,….alive & well. Too fkn dumb to…..read a damn “book”, co exist with those THEY bought here!!!, & raise their low azz……conscienceness. Chuuuuuuuch/Beleeeeeeedat!!
Sorry…..”Blacks….BLACKS”!!!!, damn iPhone!!! Arge!!