The Olympics are almost upon us, and there’s lots for FIFI bloggers and readers to chew on. Whether it’s banning swim caps that are the right size for some athletes’ hair, or fining handball/volleyball players for wearing boy shorts instead of bikini bottoms for competition, we’re seeing active women being policed for what they wear, no matter what they’re doing and what the reason.
I’m reminded of one of the OGs of wearing what works and what she wants while wowing the world with new records and accomplishments. Yes, I’m talking about Serena Williams. She was criticized for wearing a practical and useful catsuit at the French Open, among other things.
Here’s a blog post by Tracy from 2019 about the inimitable Serena—what she has done for women’s tennis and for women in general. Check out some of our other posts about her as well, if you’re interested (found in the post).
Enjoy the rest of the week, and feel free to wear anything you want!
Many of us here at Fit Is a Feminist Issue are Serena Williams fans. We have watched her be body policed (see Catherine’s post on athleticism and beauty), clothing policed (see Mina’s post on the catsuit), and just generally treated with disrespect (see Catherine’s post about the infamous 2018 US Open).
In an oddly titled article — “Serena Williams poses unretouched for Harper’s BAZAAR” –Serena Williams offers a candid personal essay about her love of tennis, her success as a champion, and the challenges she has faced in tennis as a woman and an African American woman.
Serena Williams has been known to lose her cool on occasion on the court. She has taken umpires to task, thrown…
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I hadn’t heard about the boy short reprimand. Every day a new low! Thanks for keeping me alert.
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