A tennis champion Coco Gauff responded to criticism online after a glossy photo of the athlete that highlighted her natural hair.
“So, I deleted TikTok and Twitter for a month,” Gauff, 22, began on Thursday, April 9. TikTok video. “[When I returned, I saw] thousands of people are talking about how I look and not in a positive way.”
Gauff shared images from the Miu Miu campaign via Instagram earlier this month.
“Big bag day means my @miumiu Vivant can carry anything I need 🤎,” she wrote on Instagram on April 2, sharing photos of herself on the tennis court.
In the snaps, Gauff wore a red polo and navy skirt from the popular brand, which she accessorized with a leather bag. For glam, she wore minimal makeup and tied her tresses into an updo.
“It was me and my roommate. We shot that “shot” in my parents' yard,” Gauff explained on Thursday. “The creative idea… was to show how [the bag] can be used in everyday situations.”
For this campaign, Gauff also served as her stylist.
“I did my hair and makeup [and] that's exactly how my hair and makeup looked for dinner [after the shoot],” she said. I personally don't like to slick my hair back because it damages my hair.”
@cocogauff ❤️
♬ original sound – Coco Gauff
Gauff admitted that she has “4C hair,” which is generally described as a tight and hot curl type. Attempts to slick back or straighten tight curls can damage a person's natural hair.
“I play tennis, so most of the time when I'm wearing a bun, I choose to let my natural hair be at 4C itself,” she said. “I don't want it to recede because that's not good for my hair. That's how I do my hair.”
Gauff reiterated that he did not want to “apologize in a way [her] the hair looked” because both he and his friends liked the style at the time and when the pictures were released.
“There are other girls with hair exactly the same size as mine that I wanted him to see [and] you feel like your hair is beautiful the way it is,” said the tennis phenom. “My hair was beautiful enough for the high-end fashion brand Miu Miu to promote its new launch. If my 4c hair is good enough for that, then yours is good enough to do whatever you need it to do. I will not apologize for that.”
Gauff's appearance was also inspired by several of his famous friends.
“You are amazing. sending you LOVE,” Kerry Washington he wrote in the comments section, while Angel Reese he added, “You are beautiful QUEEN! I love you, my girl.”
Chloe Kim he responded, writing, “You're so beautiful I can't believe anyone said otherwise?!”
