The Problem with Claressa Shields Telling the Gays to “Stay in Their Lane” About Her Fashion Choices
Claressa Shields is no stranger to clapping back, whether she’s inside the ring or trading punches with trolls online. This time, the two-time Olympic Gold Medalist sparked backlash after directing frustration at the Gayes.
In a video that recently made rounds, Shields is seen getting herself together in her bathroom before deciding to draw a line in the sand. “I don’t have nothing against the gays,” she said before pivoting to, “but y’all boys that wanna be girls, y’all need to leave me the f*** alone. What I should be wearing. If my hair should be down or up…I don’t need y’all coming up in my world telling me how I should be a woman or carry myself.”
The irony rewrites itself though chile, because while she claims support for the community, she mirrors back shade in the same breath. She even doubles down, expanding her criticism in the video to “Black women, White people, and dudes that want to be girls,” all of whom, in her words, “need to do better.”
We’ve seen it before, being in the public eye and managing the scrutiny that comes with it can be messy. And despite Claressa spending her career stacking medals or becoming the only woman in history to hold all four major world titles in boxing, Shields has also found herself in the middle of one of hip-hop’s most surprising breakups. When text receipts surfaced tying her to Papoose, Remy Ma’s longtime partner, the internet (and Claressa herself) dragged her straight into their chaos.
From there things only got messier online for everyone involved. Round 1: Remy vs Papoose. Round 2: Remy vs Claressa. Round 3: Papoose vs Eazy The Block Captain, Remy’s alleged new love interest. And somewhere mixed in all of that, Claressa became part of a storyline bigger than boxing again.
If we’re keeping it real though, this kind of spectacle isn’t new for Claressa. The internet has been critiquing everything about her— her love life, attitude, and how she presents herself. Every time she steps out, whether it’s a hot pink dress inspired by Beyoncé or a gaudy Gucci swimsuit under a fur coat in the middle of a Detroit summer, there’s commentary that has inevitably followed.
Scroll through her or Papoose’s Instagram comments and you’ll find the proof: “Why she dressed like that?” “That diamond chain doesn’t have to match with every outfit.” She walk harder than him.” “It’s too early for Halloween.” It’s constant policing of how she carries herself. And yet, with all this heat coming from all directions, she chooses to laser focus on the gays? That’s where the frustration feels misplaced.
Instead of addressing the broader culture nitpicking her lifestyle, or even narrowing it down to a general (and fairly important) “I don’t like when men comment on women’s bodies or their choices as a woman,” she singled out a group that wasn’t alone in making the comments. The result feels tone-deaf, because truthfully, it’s the masses.
No one’s saying Claressa has to let strangers dictate how she moves, and boundaries are fair. But when those boundaries start to sound like they’re conveniently singling out a specific group, when in actuality the noise is coming from all corners, the intended message lands incredibly wrong.
Unfortunately whether Claressa likes it or not, the critiques will keep coming from every angle, regardless if the Gayes “stay in our lane” or not.
