Serena Williams has the best tactic for dealing with the body-shamers

Serena Williams is no stranger to breaking records, winning tennis championships with ease, or possessing a generally otherworldy athleticism — but unfortunately, she is also no stranger to body-shaming. In the media and online, Serena is frequently subjected to sexist and racist comments about her body and how she dresses while dominating the tennis court.

Despite the noisy haters, Serena is a supreme example of body-positivity — never shy about how much she loves her powerful body and all that it can do. The tennis legend is on the cover of the latest issue of FADER magazine, and in the accompanying interview, she speaks on how exactly she has dealt with years of disgusting criticism. And her answer is perfectly simple — she doesn’t read articles about herself.

Serena says:

"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 myself 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."

Serena specifically speaks about the body-shamers, in addition to providing superb advice for all young women when it comes to loving themselves.

"People have been talking about my body for a really long time... Good things, great things, negative things. ...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 feel good]. 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."

Serena is an endless source of inspiration and wisdom.