Simone Biles opened up about the criticism she has faced about her appearance and her hairstyles. — Simone Biles opened up about the criticism she has faced about her appearance and her hairstyles (Images: imagn and @simonebiles on Instagram)

"Most of the backlash we get is from our own community" - Simone Biles recalls facing criticism over her wedding day hairstyle

Modified Jul 18, 2024 13:31 GMT

Simone Biles opened up about the criticism she has faced about her appearance and her hairstyles, and how she has learned to deal with it. Despite being one of the most decorated gymnasts in the world, Biles has constantly faced criticism for things beyond the sport, with her hair being a regular target for trolls online.

The American married her long-term boyfriend Jonathan Owens in Cabo, Mexico last year. When she shared the images with her fans on social media, many of the comments were about how her hair looked unkempt because her edges were not slicked back.

“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,” she told ELLE.

Biles said that having her husband's support made it easy to ignore what anyone said about her or her looks.

“I got this [the braids] done yesterday, and he said, ‘Oh my gosh, I love it!’ He loves the smell of hair being straightened. He gets his hair braided every two weeks, so we’re in a similar boat,” she added.

"When we put it together, we got everything we need" - Simone Biles on how teamwork will solve hair care duties at Paris Olympics

Simone Biles will be seen in action at the Paris Olympic Games next. She will be joined by Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and 16-year-old rising star Hezly Rivera in Team USA's gymnastics squad in France.

Simone Biles has won 37 world and Olympic medals - Getty Images

Away from the sporting action, the women have divided responsibilities to address all hair care needs at the Summer Games. Biles disclosed that her teammate Chiles is everyone's go-to person if they need braids done.

“She’s the [hair] braider on the team. We can all go to her for braids,” she said.

The 27-year-old also said that all five gymnasts on the women’s team have decided to split the various beauty items they take to the Games.

“We don’t get to bring a makeup artist or a hairstylist... When we put it [all beauty items] together, we got everything we need. You don’t want to put too much product in your hair to the point where it starts flaking and gets dirty,” she added.

After a tough time at the Tokyo Olympics, which she said was a trauma response, Biles will be eager to replicate her 2016 Rio Games performance and help her country regain the team gold.