Serena Williams, widely recognized as the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) in tennis, stirred headlines this weekend with an unexpected appearance at the 2024 Paris Fashion Week. Observers of the 42-year-old athlete remarked on her seemingly lighter complexion and even accused her of undergoing facial plastic surgery. The primary concern here is why Williams feels compelled to heed such external criticisms.
A user on X/Twitter shared a video of the star at one of the events, captioning it, "This is just sad." Another user commented on the clip, noting, "Funny, though, you can see the skin lightening, the facial plastic surgery enlargement, especially the nose, etc. Remember those proud little Compton girls with braids and colorful beads?"
This narrative represents a revisionist history at its peak. Williams has endured racist criticism for years. As she dominated tennis, white individuals often depicted her as heartless. Unfortunately, even some Black individuals joined in, denying her humanity and womanhood. Williams became a target for vitriol and harsh remarks simply because she was a Black woman.
Being a dark-skinned, athletic Black woman who shattered records in a predominantly white sport for decades made her a regular target for sexist and anti-Black attacks. Following her victory at the French Open in June 2015, Williams was dehumanized and had her physique compared to that of a man's.
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However, the onslaught of slander began much earlier. At the infamous 2001 BNP Paribas Open tournament in Indian Wells, California, Serena and her sister Venus Williams were not only booed by fans but were also subjected to racial slurs. Someone even expressed a desire to harm them, saying, "'I wish it was '75; we'd skin you alive,'" Serena recounted to USA Today.
Williams boycotted the event for over a decade as a result, returning in 2015. In 2009, Jason Whitlock remarked that she had "chosen to smother" her beauty "in an unsightly layer of thick, muscled blubber." In 2012, Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki mocked Williams by padding her bra and skirt during a match against her.
Despite enduring decades of mistreatment and cruelty, Williams continued to break records in tennis, including 23 Grand Slam singles titles, four Olympic gold medals, 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, and achieving a "Serena Slam." She also found love with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, and welcomed two beautiful daughters.
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