Gabrielle Douglas’ Responds to Criticism

Visualize a teenage girl watching television, surfing the internet, and reading magazines. She sees beautiful women everywhere she turns. She is looking in her bedroom mirror wondering why she does not have similar beauty. She begins to feel self-aware because she reads and hears criticizing comments about the females who are just like her. She says to herself, “Am I not considered beautiful because my skin is not as clear as Angelina Jolie? Do I not fit in the category “pretty” because I do not dress like Beyoncé? Or am I not referred to as “cute” because my hair is not as straight and silky as Taraji P. Henson?” Now imagine yourself being that teenage girl. How would you feel if you were consistently exposed to a judgmental society that does not accept you? You would want to be considered beautiful because you are unique, you are an individual, and you are a person made with both inner and outer beauty.
Gabrielle Douglas, also referred to as Gabby, is the 16-year-old African American woman who made history by winning a gold medal in the individual all-around gymnastics portion of the 2012 Olympic event. Instead of acknowledging the fact that Douglas became the first African-American woman to win that particular competition, people on social media sites joked on how she was in need of a relaxer for her hair. Tiya Miles, the writer of “Why focus on Gabby Douglas’ hair?,” strongly states her opinion about the comments toward the situation. Her argument about the topic is overall strong and informative because it gives the reader many points-of-view to acknowledge before he or she develops an opinion. Miles states that criticizing comments made Gabby Douglas’ achievement an undermined factor. She stresses that Douglas’ hair is a n...

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...s are losing their loyal fans because people are unfamiliar with change. They are forced to judge as soon as something different appears in a person style. However, fans are the ones losing interest in athletes and celebrities because of the social media. He or she thinks they are obligated to reason with what people are saying instead of concentrating on their accomplishment.

Works Cited

Miles, Tiya. "Opinion:Why focus on Gabby Douglas' hair?." InAmerica. Alicia W. Stewart-- CNN, 06 08 2012. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
"Much ado about Gabby’s do." Washington Post [Washington, D.C] 07 08 2012, A.12. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
Whiteside, Kelly. "Gabby:Don't critique the 'do." USA TODAY.com 6 Aug 2012: D.9. Proquest. Web. 2 Apr 2014. .