WTF?! Gabby Douglas Was Reportedly Told To Get A Nose Job
Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas may be the first African-American ever (and the third gymnast from the United States) to win the All-Around gold medal. But, she can’t seem to beat the attacks made against her appearance.
The 16-year-old recently received a hair makeover from famed stylist Ted Gibson after critics panned her slicked-back hairstyle. But, in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the teen athlete revealed that it wasn’t the first time her looks had been ridiculed. While training at Excalibar Gymnastics fitness facility in Virginia Beach, Gabby claims that a staffer poked fun at her nose.
“An Excalibur staff member told her she might want to consider reconstructive surgery on her nose because of its flatness,” Buzz Bissinger wrote in the feature. “Some other gymnasts had teased Gabby about her appearance, and she found the nose comment ‘very hurtful.’”
Dena Walker, the Girls Team Director at Excalibar, referred to the allegation as a “joke.” But, Gabby’s mother Natalie Hawkins refused to take the incident so lightly and admitted that the incident caused her daughter to become introverted.
“I was flabbergasted,” Hawkins told Vanity Fair.
According to Gabby, she was also bullied by other girls at Excalibar. “One day in 2010, in a rush to get to the gym, she left her clothing by her locker; when she returned, her shirt was missing. ‘You don’t actually take by mistake someone’s clothes,” Gabby said.
And when it was apparent that she had no shirt to leave the locker room in, other gymnasts started laughing at her.
Now that Gabby has made history, it’s safe to say that the teen is the one having the last laugh. Listen to Gabby talk more about dealing with bullies on Oprah’s Next Chapter below.
I believe what Gabby said were true. I also believe that the gym did not allow bully/discrimination. However, as America Got Talent host said, Gabby grew up in an assxxxx environment among those catty girls and mean adults, such as coach Dena, she just can not avoid all intentional or unintentional bullies and discrimination. Coach Dena started war by telling many negative things about Gabby and her family (eg. her parents’ divorce, debt, etc). It was extremely inappropriate or may be illegal. Who in the future want to send their kids to such a mean coach and gym? On Gabby’s side, she and her mother did not respond to Dena’s negative comments in the beginning. They handled it right because no one really cares this disgruntled coach’s complaint. The only thing people learned from Dena was she was very mean. But unfortunately, Gabby and her mother decided to fight back when they interviewed with Oprah/Vanity Fair, and defamed the gym, caused all its catty girls and mean coaches rebuts, and also created a lot of negative things around Gabby. Who want to ask Gabby to be their endorsement partner? All parties here mishandle the case, and all of them are losers.