The world was recently astonished to see Simone Biles pull from the individual all-around final in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to mental health. As an interviewer posed the question as to why she had stepped out of the upcoming competition she responded “I just felt like it would be a little bit better to take a backseat, work on my mindfulness”.
Just a mere two months ago, Naomi Osaka pulled out of the French Open after a successful win in her first round but was then fined $15,000 for not attending the post-match news conference. For both Biles and Osaka, the world has grown to love them for their fierceness and domination in their respective professions. However, it is rare that we see Black Women have the ability to stand against the institutions and organizations that have paved a way for their success. Needless to say, neither of these women choose to stand against the Olympics or French Open but rather they have chosen themselves and elected to publicly identify a critical moment of choosing their mental health. For many Black Women, even professional athletes, there exists a consistent Black women trope that we ourselves feel forced to take on because of the circumstances of our lives and added pressure. What it meant for Black Women globally to see these two young women choose their mental health at crucial moments in their professional careers shows us how we need to reflect and truly understand the costs of not taking a step back.
For Biles and Osaka, there was a swift turn in reactions, where it was a combination of snide remarks and questions were raised to their commitment and if they deserved their positions. Unfortunately, none of this was surprising, it is often we see how quickly social media, fashion companies, and organizations will support figures like these two women and audiences shift when they do not abide by what is expected of them. It is mindboggling to see the audacity of critics of any forum for these two women in their decisions because who could do what they have done? Not many! Since it is not often seen on a national or global scale of Black Women choosing their mental health it has caused people to be so confused, they can not possibly fathom the thought of stepping away from our everyday spaces and obligations for the sake of our minds. Beyond that failing to see how we are protecting our physical bodies as well, by testing our mental health we are directly affecting our physical body. The dehumanization of Black women’s bodies has an extensive history and this is a modern-day example of how our visibility is still being ignored.
I personally thank Naomi and Simone and for the more Black Women who will continue to choose our mental health and learn how to better ourselves fully and knowing we are not missing out on anything. What is meant for us is for us, especially when we are in a healthy state of mind.
Featured Image: https://www.wsj.com/articles/simone-biles-tokyo-olympics-11627469249