"Whether I'm winning or losing, I am who I am" Serena Williams covers Fader magazine
Serena Williams shows off her toned body on the October/November 2016 cover of Fader magazine. The 35-year-old tennis star talks public opinion of her sexuality, her body, advice for women speaking up against discrimination.
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Q: How did you deal with people commenting about your body when you were younger, and how do you deal with it now?
Williams: I’ve purposely tuned people out since I was 17. At the time, it was basically newspapers and maybe a website article. Maybe if the web was up back then. Since the day I won the U.S. Open, my very first Grand Slam, I never read articles about myself. If I saw my name mentioned, I’d look away. I looked at the pictures, but that’s pretty much it. I didn’t want to get too cocky, and at the same time I didn’t want to have that negative energy. I don’t know why I did it, but I did it. Ever since then I’ve been really low-key.
People have been talking about my body for a really long time. Good things, great things, negative things.
People are entitled to have their opinions, but what matters most is how I feel about me, because that’s what’s going to permeate the room I’m sitting in. It’s going to make you feel that I have confidence in myself whether you like me or not, or you like the way I look or not, if I do. That’s the message I try to tell other women and in particular young girls. You have to love you, and if you don’t love you no one else will. And if you do love you, people will see that and they’ll love you too.
Q: Do you have any advice for those women who may want to speak up about their experience but don’t have the same power and influence as you?
Q: Do you have any advice for those women who may want to speak up about their experience but don’t have the same power and influence as you?
Williams: I’ve always been comfortable. I think since I wore the catsuit at the Open back in 2002, but even before that I was pretty comfortable — ever since I was 20, maybe younger. I remember wearing that and thinking, Wow, I can’t believe I’m wearing this. I was a little nervous before, but afterwards I was totally OK
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