In the shoot, Gauff posed on her backyard tennis court with the bag, styled in a preppy red polo and dark navy technical skirt. She wore light makeup, with her hair pulled back into a neat bun.
“I personally don’t like to slick back my hair super sleek, because it does damage my hair,” Gauff explained. “I do play tennis, so most of the time I’m wearing it in a bun. I have (curl type) 4C hair… That’s just not good for my hair.”
Posted a week ago, the photos initially drew praise but also a wave of negative comments criticizing her natural look—calling her hair “unpolished,” comparing her outfit to styles from the Civil Rights era, and more.
The backlash sparked a broader online debate that eventually reached Gauff.
“I’m not going to apologize for the way that my hair looked,” she said. “There are other girls who have the exact same hair as me, and I just want them to see and feel represented…
“My hair was good enough for a high-fashion brand like Miu Miu to promote one of their newest launches. So if my 4C hair was good enough for that, yours is good enough to do whatever you need it to do.”
