Serena Williams just shut down her haters in the most glorious way
Serena Williams is one of the most badass, empowering women out there. Not only is she mega-talented — most recently, she won Wimbledon — but she’s also a fabulous role model for girls and women everywhere. Unfortunately, with great success and confidence comes an onslaught of criticism from people who want to break that confidence down. Williams has dealt with body-shaming and sexism of all kinds over the years; behavior that is 100% not OK, but sadly all too common in today’s world.
But Serena has a message for her haters. In an interview with Good Morning America on Monday, she explained that she absolutely loves her amazing body for everything it is — and no amount of body-shaming can shake that.
“It’s me and I love me and I learned to love me and I’ve been like this my whole life, and I embrace me, and I love how I look,” she said.
Last month, Serena faced a lot of hatred and cruelty when she posted a bikini picture of herself on Instagram, with many comparing her to a man and making hateful (and, not to mention, transphobic) remarks simply because of her athletic body. Following her Wimbledon win a couple months ago, she also experienced people claiming that the only reason she won was because “she’s built like a man.” When it comes to the ridiculousness that Serena faces as a strong women in sports, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
But Serena’s too focused on the good in her life to pay any mind to the negativity.
“I love that I’m a full woman and I am strong, and I’m powerful, and I’m beautiful at the same time, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” she told GMA. “It’s so important to look at the positives, if I get caught up looking at the negatives it can really bring you down.”
And Serena has absolutely NO time for that. She’s too busy kicking ass and taking names.
“I don’t have time to be brought down, I’ve got too many things to do,” she told GMA. “I have Grand Slams to win, I have people to inspire, and that’s what I’m here for.” YAAAS. Did you just stand up and clap? Because we totally did. Serena’s got some huge upcoming matches, but going into the U.S. Open, she’s taking a pretty zen approach. Of course, she wants to win, but she’s staying chill.
“I feel like I want to win here more than probably anybody, but at the same time I don’t feel that pressure,” she told GMA.
Probably because she’s a total badass. It’s worth noting that, if Serena were to win, she would be the first woman to complete the Grand Slam (winning all four Majors in a year) since 1988. But Serena is keeping relaxed. She’s keeping her head held high, above any pressure and stress. . . and WAY above those haters.
You rock, Serena. Thanks for keeping it real and remaining a strong, empowering role model, as always.
(Images via Instagram, Leonard Zhukovsky/Shutterstock.)
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