Simone Biles is asking 2024 Paris Olympics viewers to keep their comments about her hair to themselves.
The seven-time Olympic medalist shared two Instagram Stories on Tuesday, July 30, featuring her and other Olympians on a 45-minute bus ride amidst the heatwave currently sweeping through Paris. In the video, Biles, 27, is using a handheld fan to try and keep cool as temperatures in the City of Light have climbed to a sweltering 95 degrees.
“Don’t come for me about my hair,” she captioned the video, in which her hair is pulled back into a ponytail. “IT WAS DONE but bus has NO AC & it’s like 9,000 degrees.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(560x0:562x2)/simone-biles-hair-paris-heatwave-073024-2-c691de38722645fc86306cc99cdca2db.jpg)
Simone Biles/Instagram
She followed up her first post with a photo of her smiling with her eyes closed in her blank tank top as she reminded people that it’s never okay to comment on someone’s hair — heatwave or not.
She wrote, “gonna hold your hand when I say this,” before adding, “next time you want to comment on a Black girl’s hair, JUST DON’T.”
Biles, who is the most awarded gymnast in history with 37 medals across the Olympics and competitions, has faced a number of unwanted comments about her hair over the years. In an interview with Elle published on Wednesday, July 17, she opened up about learning to embrace her hair over the years.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(576x0:578x2)/simone-biles-hair-paris-heatwave-073024-1-5f5124925e82417cb099d48424fb4962.jpg)
Simone Biles/Instagram
“I used to worry about [my hair being considered] not professional,” she said. “But I’m not embarrassed about it anymore.”
The Olympian added, “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.”
For Biles, taking control over her haircare routine has played a big role in her boosted confidence. Part of that comes from having access to beauty tutorials from Black content creators who discuss products and styles to try.
“We’ve been able to take care of our hair better and take care of our beauty routines better, because it’s self-taught,” she said. “It’s really special that we have access to those platforms.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2)/simone-biles-olympics-day-2-073024-1-6049dc5f661d4e38ad422133c0aa3337.jpg)
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Biles is currently in the midst of another history-making performance at the Olympics.
Despite tweaking her calf during warmups on Sunday, July 28, she went on to qualify for the individual event finals for balance beam, floor and vault. She will also compete in the Olympic all-around competition thanks to her impressive 59.566 in qualifiers.
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up for Going for Gold, our Olympics newsletter, to get the biggest stories from the Games delivered straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.
