Serena Williams Just Addressed the Vicious Body-Shaming She's Faced In a Letter to Her Mom
According to Serena Williams, your mom may be right when she says you won't understand something she did or said until you've become a parent yourself.
On Tuesday, the tennis pro and mother to two-week-old daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. posted an open letter to her own mom, Oracene Price, to Reddit. (Williams' fiancé Alexis Ohanian is co-founder of the social news site.) In it, Williams thanked Prince for exemplifying how to be a fierce and "classy" parent.
"You are one of the strongest women I know. I was looking at my daughter (OMG, yes, I have a daughter 😳) and she has my arms and legs!" Serena opened the letter, which she titled "Letter to my mom." "My exact same strong, muscular, powerful, sensational arms and body. I don't know how I would react if she has to go through what I've gone through since I was a 15 year old and even to this day." She went on to recall the criticisms she and her body have received over the years: She recounts that she's been called "man" and been accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs, and that it's been said she should compete with men instead of women. "I just work hard and I was born with this badass body and proud of it," she wrote.
The 2017 Australian Open champ continued, "But mom, I'm not sure how you did not go off on every single reporter, person, announcer and quite frankly, hater, who was too ignorant to understand the power of a black woman. I am proud we were able to show them what some women look like. We don't all look the same. We are curvy, strong, muscular, tall, small, just to name a few, and all the same: we are women and proud!" She added, "You are so classy, I only wish I could take your lead. I am trying, though, and God is not done with me yet. I have a LONG way to go, but thank you."
Serena also thanked her mom for being her role model and giving her the strength to overcome hardships. "I hope to teach my baby Alexis Olympia the same, and have the same fortitude you have had," the 35-year-old wrote. "Promise me, Mom, that you will continue to help. I'm not sure if I am as meek and strong as you are yet. I hope to get there one day. I love you dearly." No, you're crying!
This isn't the first time Serena has posted an open letter that gave us major goosebumps. Last fall, in a note addressed to "all incredible women who strive for excellence" and published in Porter magazine, the record-breaking athlete addressed the lack of gender equality in sports (and beyond). "As we know, women have to break down many barriers on the road to success. One of those barriers is the way we are constantly reminded we are not men, as if it is a flaw," she wrote. "People call me one of the 'world's greatest female athletes.' Do they say LeBron is one of the world's best male athletes? Is Tiger? Federer? Why not? They are certainly not female. We should never let this go unchallenged. We should always be judged by our achievements, not by our gender."
And earlier this year, while pregnant with Alexis Jr., Serena posted a selfie on Instagram in which she cradled her baby bump, captioning it with a short message to her baby. "My Dearest Baby, You gave me the strength I didn’t know I had. You taught me the true meaning of serenity and peace. I can't wait to meet you," she wrote, signing it, "Your Mommy."
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