*Gabrielle “Gabby” Douglas‘ Mom has had it out here, so to speak, about the BS and bullying her famous daughter is dealing with. Now, Natalie Hawkins is now speaking out about what the gold medal winning gymnast is getting from online trolls while putting in major effort and energy during the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
“She’s had to deal with people criticizing her hair, or people accusing her of bleaching her skin. They said she had breast enhancements, they said she wasn’t smiling enough, she’s unpatriotic. Then it went to not supporting your team mates. Now you’re ‘Crabby Gabby,’” Hawkins said in an interview with Reuters.
“You name it, and she got trampled. What did she ever do to anyone?” Hawkins continues.
Last week, Gabrielle was hated on as far as her hair was concerned, as well as for not placing her hand over her heart during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“I don’t think respecting your country or your flag boils down to whether you put your hand over your heart or not,” Hawkins said. “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.
“When ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ is played, most military members either salute or stand to attention,” she said.
Hawkins added that both she and Douglas have cried about the bullying, to the point where her daughter has had enough.
“What was going through her head was ‘I’m being attacked for everything I do so I might as well not do anything. Because no matter what I do, I am being attacked,’” Hawkins said.
READ RELATED STORY: TV ONE’S ROLAND S. MARTIN SAYS GABBY DOUGLAS BACKLASH IS ROOTED IN BLACK SELF-HATRED [WATCH]
On Sunday, after not getting a medal in the individual competition, Gabby Douglas spoke about how it feels to be ridiculed.
“When they talk about my hair or me not putting my hand up on my heart or me being very salty in the stands, they’re really criticizing me, and it doesn’t really feel good,” Douglas said, with tears in her eyes. “It was a little bit hurtful.”
Miss Douglas was also candid in the interview about what she would have done differently this Olympics.
“Everything I’ve gone through has been a lot this time around,” Douglas said, “and I apologize if [I seemed] really mad in the stands. I wasn’t. I was supporting [teammate] Aly [Raisman]. And I always will support them and respect them in everything they do. I never want anyone to take it as I was jealous or I wanted attention. Never. I support them, and I’m sorry that I wasn’t showing it.
“I’ve been through a lot,” she added. “I still love them. I still love the people who love me. Still love them who hate me. I’m just going to stand on that.”
Poor Gabby. It’s really unfortunate that she has to deal with this level of BS and bully when it’s totally uncalled for. Given what she’s dealing with, it’s amazing she can concentrate and perform as well as she has.
