Belle in the Washington Post- TWICE

In "Glowing over Gabby Douglas's golden win at the London Olympic Games" WaPo's Jeannine Hunter wrote on Friday:

While praise abounds about Gabby’s performance, many also weighed in on critical commentary about her appearance.

“She’s not just a champion of her block, or her borough, or her county or state. She’s one of the best in the world, as in all of Earth and womankind. At 16. Her hair may not be flawless, but her gravity-defying performances have been doggone close,” wrote Demetria Lucas for Essence’s Web site.

She did not object to the teen’s appearance, noting that “when she receives her accolades in the form of network appearances and magazine covers, I have no doubt that she’ll show and (im)prove with a mane to envy. But right now? There are bigger things to worry about, like how Gabby performs today in the individual competitions, whether her hair meets some arbitrary standards or not.”

Read full article: here

On Saturday, "Gabby Douglas's hair sets off Twitter debate, but some ask: "Whay's the fuss?" by Vanessa Williams made the cover of WaPo's Style section. 

Williams wrote:

Black women’s hair was already a hot topic on blogs and talk shows before Gabby Douglas vaulted onto the world stage at the London Olympics. Then the rhetoric really started to sizzle, like a straightening comb on the back of your neck.

After some viewers complained on Twitter that Douglas’s hair looked unkempt, social media and the blogosphere erupted with incredulous condemnation of those shallow enough to focus on the 16-year-old’s coiffure vs. her graceful jumps and powerful twists.

And Douglas’s gold medal-winning performance Thursday in the gymnastics individual all-around did not silence the haters, who were still atwitter on Twitter.

“This little girl just won a gold medal and is representing her country, and people are talking about her edges? Really?” said Demetria L. Lucas in an interview Friday. Lucas’s memoir, “A Belle in Brooklyn,” chronicles the fun and frustration of life as a single black woman.

Earlier in the week, right after the cyber-heckling began with Douglas’s first performance, Lucas came to her defense on Essence.com: “You really want her sitting up in the Olympic Village thinking about a hot comb or some lye right now, with all that’s on the line?”

Apparently, some people did.

Read the full article: here