Gabby Douglas’s mom gets real about all the Twitter bullying directed at her daughter
Tension is always high at the Olympics because of the ridiculous amount of pressure that athletes are under, but 20-year-old gymnast Gabby Douglas is having an even tougher time due to haters on social media.
Apparently, people have been criticizing Douglas about literally everything, from her hair and breast size, to her smile, to even questioning her support for her friends and teammates Aly Raisman and Simone Biles.
Some have even resorted to childish name-calling, like the super hurtful and unnecessary “Crabby Gabby” (and let’s not even get into how offensive it is for people to tell women to “smile more.” Because we seriously can’t even right now).
https://www.instagram.com/p/4XE8Z9t5gq
But one of the biggest complaints people have about Douglas is that she didn’t place her hand over her heart during the national anthem.
How dare Gabby Douglas not put her hand on her heart for the American National Anthem!!!!
— Bryan (@RealBryanIV) August 9, 2016
Douglas’s mom Natalie Hawkins just couldn’t take this last one. In an interview with Reuters, she said, “I don’t think respecting your country or your flag boils down to whether you put your hand over your heart or not.”
She went on to say, “We grew up in the military community. My mom spent almost 30 years in the military, my dad’s a two-time Vietnam vet. Because of that it was so insulting that they would accuse my daughter of being unpatriotic when we are so tied to the military family.”
She explained that when the national anthem is played, most military members stand to attention as opposed to placing their hand over their heart, which is exactly what Douglas did.
It makes our blood boil that a role model and total #BOSS like Douglas is getting negativity hurled her way when she should be celebrated for her incredible accomplishments this week. We’re officially on #TEAMGABBY and sending her all the love!
