Serena Williams flaunted a warm-up jacket on which were written the words – Mother, Champion, Queen, Goddess - in French, all over it, and we are gushing over this bold fashion statement.
It was her opening match at Roland Garros on Monday where she played those words in her fans' minds, printed on a black-and-white warm-up jacket.
“Those are things that mean a lot to me and reminders for me and for everyone that wants to wear it,” Williams said after the match. “Just remind everyone that they can be champions and are queens. So I love that about it,” she added, NY Post reported.
“It is a lot to carry, but so is being Serena Williams,” said Williams
The iconic jacket is a collaboration with designer Virgil Abloh, and Serena herself.
Serena made her return to Grand Slam competition in Paris a year ago after missing five majors because of the birth of her first child. The 23-time Grand Slam champion overcame a slow start for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over 83rd-ranked Vitalia Diatchenko. She said, “I just needed to change. I was like: ‘I’ve got to try something different. It’s not my forehand, it’s my clothes; right?'”
Earlier Williams’ on-court fashion choices have put the spotlight on her on various occasions, more so than of her career.
Last year, she wore a tutu at the US Open, giving a fitting response to the French Tennis Federation’s decision banning her blood clot-preventing cat suit.
The fierce mother had earlier compared her super look and the attire to the fictional nation from Marvel – Wakanda. She said she came straight from Marvel Comics’ Black Panther. “I call it like my Wakanda-inspired cat suit. It’s really fun,” she said.
However, she was unfairly scrutinised for her physical appearance in the costume. The constant criticism of being “shapely”, “muscular,” and “masculine” body have followed her like shadows, and her clothing was widely shamed too. But our superstar knows how to handle the body-shaming with confidence.
READ: Retribution In Tutu: Serena Williams’ Fitting Reply To Catsuit Ban
So, when the French Open banned her badass Black Panther-inspired cat suit, she chose to wear a tutu.
For a number of insecure people, the suit is obscene. For Serena, the bodysuit represents comfort and medical assistance. Besides, making her look cool, the outfit served a medical purpose. “I’ve had a lot of problems with my blood clots,” Serena revealed, speaking to reporters at the French Open, vt.co reported. “God, I don’t know how many I’ve had in the past 12 months. I’ve been wearing pants in general a lot when I play, so I can keep the blood circulation going.”
The cat suit helps her deal with blood clots she suffered when giving birth.
Last year, French Tennis Federation President Bernard Giudicelli announced a strict dress code for future games, singling out Serena’s outfit choice. Serena, who is chasing a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title, addressed an announcement last week by Nike that it will respect the contracts of athletes who become pregnant.
The move comes after Olympic track and field star Allyson Felix joined a chorus of critics, pressuring Nike into changing its maternity policy, the New York Times reported. “It started with making a statement with me, and they said they want to make a change,” Williams said. “They want to support women that want to have families and that want to be moms. I’m glad that statement was made. … That’s what it’s about. It’s about learning from mistakes and doing better. As time goes on, as technology changes and as the world changes,” she added. “People realize that we have to change our policies,” she explained.
Feature Image Credit: ABC
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