Tennis icon Serena Williams opens up about hurtful comments about her body. That’s why she hasn’t read any articles about herself for many years.
The most important thing in brief
-
Serena Williams struggled with criticism about her looks and muscles for years.
-
Because of the hurtful comments, she decided to stop reading articles about herself.
-
Today she is proud and emphasizes the individuality of each body.
Serena Williams (44) has won almost everything there is to win in her 27-year career. But in addition to sporting successes, the tennis legend also had to endure harsh criticism of her appearance.
In an interview with “Porter” magazine, the exceptional athlete now speaks openly about her experiences with body shaming. The first 15 years of her career were particularly challenging for her.
Serena Williams thought she was too fat
Williams explains that her body was “different” than that of her competitors on the court. “I had big breasts, I had a big butt. All the other athletes were super flat, super thin and beautiful, but in a different way.”
But as an athlete, she didn’t know how to deal with it.
Their pronounced muscles in particular have repeatedly been made a topic of public discussion. She was even accused of winning just because she looked like a man.
Looking back, Serena Williams says: “You spend your whole life thinking you were too fat, and then when you look back you realize: I was fit. Yes, I had big muscles.”
That’s why she doesn’t read articles about herself
To protect herself from the hurtful comments, the tennis icon made a drastic decision a long time ago. At the age of 17, she decided never to read about herself again.
She admits in the interview that she hasn’t read an article about herself since then. This strategy helped her focus on her sport and career.
Today she stands by her individuality
Williams has now made peace with her body and developed a clear attitude. “I didn’t look like the other girls, but not everyone looks the same,” she emphasizes.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner is confident today and presents her trained body.
Serena Williams recently spoke openly about taking the diabetes drug GLP-1, which helped her lose weight.
Despite criticism, she stood by it and made no secret of it. In an interview with Vogue she explained: “I don’t care anymore what other people say about my body. But what is important to me is transparency.”
