Photo: Mike Pont/WireImage
GQnamedSerena Williamsits 2018 Woman of the Year on Monday, but found itself in hot water for a controversial design choice featured on the tennis superstar’s cover.
The magazineannually puts out a Men of the Year listfor its December issue and started included women among its honorees in 2003. This year, the magazine released four covers — one with Williams and three others with Men of the Year Michael B. Jordan, Henry Golding andJonah Hill.
On Williams’ cover, she stands confidently in a long-sleeve black turtleneck bodysuit. In the typeface, the word “Men” in “Men of the Year” is crossed out, with the word “Woman” scripted in handwritten font in its place — and put in quotation marks.
Critics accused the magazine of mocking Williams, with some pointing out thatGQ‘s previous Woman of the Year covers did not have the word in quotation marks.
Last year, in an open letter on reddit, she wrote: “I’ve been called man because I appeared outwardly strong … It has been said I don’t belong in women’s sports — that I belong in men’s — because I look stronger than many other women do. (No, I just work hard and I was born with this baddass body and proud of it.)”
On Twitter Tuesday, one user wrote, “Considering the insults she’s dealt with over the years, one would think putting woman in quotation marks, @virgilabloh ‘thing’ or not, would spark controversy. Either way, there’s no keeping this woman down! @serenawilliams is a SUPER woman anyway!❤🎾”
“That context definitely helps,” said another. [But] it’s definitely off putting especially for an athlete who has been critiqued for not being womanly/not a real woman in all sorts of racist and problematic ways.”
Williams has yet to speak out about the controversy.
Earlier this month, Williams toldAdweekshe turns the often negative attention on her life and actions into something positive — for her, her fans and her businesses.
“I just feel like sometimes, for whatever reason, anything that I do gets amplified, and soI use it for my brand,” she told the publication for their Nov. 5 cover story, in which she was named their 2018 Brand Visionary. “I use it to promote messages that are affirmative, like ‘you are strong, brave, proud, great’ and all those things that I feel like I’m in a position to not only express playing tennis but can also be expressed in my fashion line and other products.”
In addition to being a professional athlete, Williams haslaunched her own fashion linecalled “Serena” and has collaborated with some of the biggest brands in the industry, from Nike to Puma to HSN. She is also an author, activist, and mom to 1-year-old daughterAlexis Olympiawith husband and Reddit co-founderAlexis Ohanian.
source: people.com
