Serena Williams is on a GLP-1 weight-loss drug and the NYT commenters have comments. Mine for them: “mind your own business”

June 12, 2026June 12, 2026 catherine w1 Comment

There’s big news in sports this week: Serena Williams is officially back playing professional tennis. winning a straight-sets doubles match with her partner, Canadian Victoria Mboko, over the 3rd seeded pair in the Queen’s grass court tournament in London. Mboko was unfortunately injured during the tournament, having to withdraw from further play for the time being. Williams plans to play with a different partner in the Berlin open next week.

Not sports news, but nonetheless reported by the NY Times and other venues: Serena Williams has been taking Zepbound, a GLP-1/GIP weight-loss drug for weight loss.

Here’s an excerpt from this NY Times article:

Williams, 44, said that she made the decision after trying just about every other avenue. She had not wanted to take “the shortcut,” she said on Oprah Winfrey’s podcast last August, but, Williams said, getting to where she wanted to be after her two pregnancies was not working through training alone.

“I couldn’t beat the weight. It was the one opponent I couldn’t beat,” Williams, who manages her treatment through Ro, a telehealth company for which she serves as a paid ambassador, said.

And oh, do the commenters have comments! But first, some facts:

Serena is one of the greatest athletes of all time, having won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, two Serena slams, 367 match wins, and lots more here.
We FIFI bloggers love writing about Serena, including here and here and here and here.
Serena has had two babies and is 44 years old, which means that biology wants her to weigh more now. Biology is very persuasive with bodies.
Exercise, even intense athletic training (especially for women), doesn’t bring about weight loss. Studies have shown this, and you can read about them here, here and here.
Commentators, including both professionals and randos, never miss an opportunity to offer opinions on Serena’s body size, shape, age, clothing, work, parenting, you name it.
Serena is taking a GLP-1 drug– Zepbound, which is tirzepatide, for weight loss.
She is a paid ambassador to a telehealth company (Ro) that sells Zepbound, and her husband is an investor in the company.

Now, to the comments. But– humor me–one more little thing:

Why, oh why, do so many people have so many utterly unfounded, unsolicited and unwelcome opinions about Serena Williams? I mean, really. For example: In a 2019 poll, one in eight UK men said they thought they could take a point off her in a tennis match. This was after her 23rd Grand Slam win. I’d love to watch them try. If you doubt at all, check this out.

Okay, now to the NYT commenters’ comments. They include a wide range, of which some are below.

They minded that Serena’s doubles partner wasn’t mentioned enough.
They implied that by playing doubles, Serena wasn’t really back; after all, she only had to cover half the court.
They implied that taking a GLP-1 drug is like doping.
They said confused and false things (some wildly wrong) about the effects of GLP-1 drugs on muscle mass (fact: weight loss of any sort tends to reduce muscle mass)

They also said Serena was:

Self-prescribing (NO)
Offering medical advice (NO)
Doping in general (offering no evidence that she has and there is NO evidence that she has)
Doping because GLP-1s are performance-enhancing drugs (NONONONONO—I will be blogging more about this next week)

Then there were the science-splainers. This one was my favorite:

“it’s[GLP-1 effects] a consequence of how your body prioritizes what to break down for energy. This is governed by individual biology..”

NO. DEFINITELY NOT. SO NOT.

This one just made me mad:

I don’t understand the argument that she couldn’t beat her weight issues. I remember a time, way before GLPs when people lost weight the good old fashioned way I.e eating less, working out and staying active. When Serena, who during her prime years was one of the fittest and most athletic tennis players of all time, now says the only thing she couldn’t beat was her weight, this leaves me scratching my head.

DO YOU NOW? Because there was NO TIME IN HUMAN HISTORY in which many/most people lost weight the old-fashioned way and kept it off. Also, Serena is a woman who has had two children, one while still playing world-caliber professional tennis. And she is now 44. Which brings me back to the biology fact from the first fact list.

If you admire or love or respect Serena Williams even a fraction of the amount I do, you’ll now be on your guard against this newest pile of anti-science-and racist-misogynist nonsense. But I can’t leave you all riled up with nowhere to go.

I leave y’all with my favorite auto-correct comment:

what a terrible message to send to youth antlers.

Yes, let’s all be on our guard to protect those youth-antlers from GLP-1s in the wild.

A bunch of young moose in the wild. — Protect the antlers of our youth now from GLP-1s! Vamoose, I say!

Until next week, I remain irately yours,

-catherine

Black Hustory · Black Present · college sports · fitness

It’s Black History month! Meet and greet some great athletes

February 9, 2025February 8, 2025 catherine w

February is Black History month (although, of course, every month in which we study history should also be Black History month, but I digress..). One of my favorite things about all the social media posts celebrating Black History month is learning new stories about Black female athletes and achievers that didn’t make the current history books or main media outlets. So here are some entries I’ve been seeing on my social media feeds that you might have missed as well. Many thanks to the Facebook group American Black History – Culture and also to US Congressman Jim Clyburn’s FB page for all their work bringing these extraordinary people to our attention.

Althea Gibson

With her 1956 French Open win, Althea Gibson, native of Clarendon County, SC, became the first African American to win a grand slam. As one of the first Black athletes to cross the color line of international tennis, Gibson paved the way for the likes of the Williams sisters, Coco Gauff, and countless others.

“Gibson (right) receives a kiss from compatriot Darlene Hard, who she beat to become the first black woman to win the Wimbledon title in 1957.” -CNN

Silvia Bishop

Silvia “Rideout” Bishop became the first Black female to train thoroughbredd the United States when the West Virginia legislature uthorized her with the license for training racehorses. Between 1987 and 2000, Bishop’s horses won 44 races, earning a total of US$166,633.

Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop, standing with two men next to “Bright Gem” with jockey Jack Sollars. Photo from Wikipedia.

Bessie Coleman and a bunch of Black women who work and fly for American Airlines

Bessie Coleman was the first Black and Native American woman to earn a pilot’s license back in June 1921 and became the first Black woman to perform a public flight in 1922. A special American Airlines flight operated by an all-Black and all-female crew honored aviation pioneer Bessie Coleman on the 100th anniversary of Coleman becoming the first Black woman to pilot a public flight.

Bessie Coleman pilot’s license in 1921 from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.From Wikipedia.

Am all-Black female crew for American Airlines flew to honor Bessie Colema, taking their own pilot licenses out for a spin... — Bessie Coleman pilot’s license in 1921 from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.From Wikipedia.

Kamora Freeland

While we’re talking about female aviation pioneers, let’s give a shout-out to 17-year-old Kamora Freeland. Now one of the youngest licensed Black pilots, she recently earned her private pilot’s license. “I have a passion for it, and I love it,” she said.-Freeland, a senior at Kingsborough Early College High School, passed solo and cross-country flight tests, even flying her mom to Martha’s Vineyard. Freeland heads to Spelman in fall, aiming for a commercial pilot’s license next.

17-year-old Kamara Freeland, one of the youngest Black pilots in the US. Picture and info courtesy of FB group American Black History-Culture.

Danielle Green

Danielle Green, Notre Dame basketball player and Iraq war veteran, has reinvented herself in several ways. From this Notre Dame profile:

[Green] was wounded by a rocket-propelled enemy grenade while serving with the U.S. Army in the Iraq war in May 2004. Pity, though, is wasted energy. As she rebuilds her own life, she is putting her experience to work as a readjustment counselor for the Department of Veterans Affairs, helping fellow service vets cope with the physical and psychological trauma they have encountered on the battlefield.

Green bicycles, she runs, she plays golf, she’s learning to fish. She’d like to start a family. “That would complete the circle,” she says.

Danielle Green won the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the ESPY awards. Picture courtesy of FB group America Black History-Culture.

Readers, do you have any shout-outs of your own for Black History month? Let us know in the comments.

Black Present · fitness · nature

NY Times readers of color find joy outside

September 19, 2021September 18, 2021 catherine w

In case you don’t get the Race/Related newsletter from the NY Times, I wanted to share a few of the lovely photos and reflections on the joy of the outdoors, submitted by NYT readers of color. They made me smile and encouraged me out the door (I’m writing this an hour before going swimming with Norah).

Leesa: I am in loving motion with CoCoBaby. Yes, I named my bike. Street hustling and sidewalk flowing every morning and every evening, with her. She brings me joy — my CocoBaby! She helps me forget my woes and absorb myself with nature: the sultry heat of the summer sun, the crisp fall air with crunchy leaves under her tires, the rainy downpour of the Pacific Northwest rains. Riding on CocoBaby is a mindful meditation of how to be present and breathe in my joy, my gratitude for life and every adventure in between.

Leesa and CoCo Baby, her two-wheeled friend.

Roslyn: My mother tells the story of how at age 3, she put me down to feel the sand on my feet for the first time at the beach and I shockingly took off, fast, racing straight toward the waves, chubby arms extended, as if I knew how to swim. I did not. But I have always loved the water.

Here, I am walking one of many paths along the Palisades, the water and New York City skyline to my right, with my favorite four-legged girl, Moxie, in tow. Paired with endless sky, I can remember how small my worries are, and I am thankful for this bit of time where it is my Moxie, the water and me.

Faith and her dog Moxie, standing on the Palisades, the Hudson River in the background. — Roslyn and her dog Moxie, standing on the Palisades, the Hudson River in the background.

Faith: One day last year I went kayaking in the bayous of City Park in New Orleans. As I shoved off from the bank, the rental attendant looked concerned.

“Have you used a kayak before?” she asked.

“Yes, I know what I’m doing,” I replied.

It struck me a few minutes later — I did know what I was doing! Because I did not grow up with any regular tradition of outdoor life, I’m a little proud of myself for learning to handle a kayak.

Faith handling the tandem kayak while her son Eli rocks some great sunglasses.

Biking, hiking, paddling: all of these bring joy and offer ways to navigate the natural world. Seeing other people loving nature reminds me of my own relationship with it. And, like all relationships, it flourishes only when we tend to it. So I’m going to wrap up now, make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and get my swim bag together. See y’all later!

Readers, what kinds of experiences remind you of your love of nature? Do you have to go far, to a mountaintop? Can you get that warm feeling in your backyard? Let us know.

Black Hustory · Black Present · fitness · hiking · racism · swimming

Exercising while black: a few women’s stories

June 7, 2020June 6, 2020 catherine w4 Comments

As a white woman who wants to be a better ally, advocate and collaborator for racial justice, the number once piece of advice I’m hearing is: get yourself educated! Read and learn about the history, politics, economics, etc. of systematic racism. Read about the experiences of people of color as recounted by them. Learning is necessary for white people to acknowledge, be aware of and look for situations where racism harms people of color; these situations are everywhere, and happening all the time. Then, learn how to respond. Learn to be uncomfortable, and accept that others will be made uncomfortable by your responses.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

On this blog, we’ve written a lot about discrimination against cis and trans women, against older women, fatter women, women with disabilities, and women of color.

Today’s post offers you a few sites and stories of African American women, in motion in a racist world.

I am asking you, dear readers, a favor: if you could add any suggestions in the comments about women of color doing physical activities whose stories we ought to know about, we’ll publish them in a follow-up post. Thanks as always.

First up–Black Girls Trekkin’. this is a group “for women of color who choose to opt outside”. Tiffanie Tharpe, one of the founders, was interviewed in the Guardian about the need for support and safety for women of color in the outdoors:

I feel like it’s important for black girls to hike. When I was young I would have loved to have had someone encouraging me to get outside. To not be afraid. I’ve decided to apply for a master’s degree in parks and recreation management, and a friend and I set up a hiking group for women of color in LA called Black Girls Trekkin’. I want to be a model to other young girls.

Here’s a photo from their Facebook page from one of the events they sponsor:

Two black women with a little girl in the middle, hiking with a big group.

Second: Outdoor Afro. Founded by Ru Mapp, Outdoor Afro is a national not-for-profit organization based on Oakland, CA. They have local leaders and sponsor events in 30 states, organizing hikes, kayaking, mountain biking and other outdoor activities. In their stories section, you can hear from Taishya Adams about the ways being in the outdoors and organizing and leading outdoor groups has helped her develop skills for community organizing and political action. She says:

As an Outdoor Afro leader in Colorado, I build on their 10-year legacy of reconnecting black people to the outdoors and our role as leaders in it. I believe that human relationships are at the center of our work towards justice, the foundation each of us can build upon.

Third: The Howard University women’s swim team. Howard is the only historically black university in the US that has both men’s and women’s swim teams. The BBC spent time with the Howard women swim team to create a documentary podcast called Black Girls Don’t Swim. The swimmers talk about their early experiences with swimming and the barriers they’ve encountered. One of the obstacles is the harmful effects of chlorinated water on their hair. The team discusses hair care, competing in a white-dominated sport, tips on being a successful student athlete, and how much they love swimming in this video interview, conducting by blackkidsswim.com.

Howard university women's swim team member in the water. — Howard university women’s swim team member in the water.

There’s a long and complex and racist history of the relationships between swimming and black communities all over the world. This article in The Conversation by University of Toronto PhD. student Jacqueline Scott provides a short introduction and starting point for learning about these issues.

Finally (for now), there’s Jacqueline Scott’s excellent blog, Black Outdoors. She writes about all sorts of activities from birding to snowshoeing, has published widely and also been interviewed for her research and her passion for the outdoors. Bonus for Torontonians: Scott also leads 2-hour Black History Walks (currently paused), which you can read more about here.

Jacqueline Scott in front of a mural in Toronto, talking about Black History.

So readers, any suggestions for stories and sites to visit to learn more about women of color in motion on land, sea or air? I didn’t cover much here, so I’d welcome input. We’d love to see them, and will put them together for another post. Thanks!

Black Futures · Black Hustory · Black Present · Sat with Nat

Black History, Black Present and Black Futures

February 8, 2020February 9, 2020 natalieh (she/her)

We’ve written about the triumphs and challenges of two prominent Black women athletes, Serena Williams and Caster Semenya, and how they challenge stereotypes, sexism and racism by their achievements.

As a white women who strives to be an ally it feels weird to write a post about Black History Month but I decided it would be worse to trudge on with my monthly post not doing anything at all.

It’s Black History Month, a time for celebration of the contributions Black folks have made, the present Black people create and the Black futures we’ve yet to see. I’ve gathered a few links I hope you will find interesting.

Black History

I’m thankful of K. Tempest Bradford’s fantastic Black History Month Challenge

“For February, I challenge you to read something by a Black person that isn’t only about pre-Civil War American slavery, the Civil War, or the Civil Rights Era. Bonus points if you can go the whole month without touching those subjects and still reading a bunch of stuff by Black folk.”

There is A LOT of Black History to cover outside of those periods. Black Women in sport have accomplished and contributed so many things.

30 New Books About Inspiring Women for Black HistoryMonth

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/black-female-athletes-women-in-sports

Black Women in Sport JSTOR

https://olympic.ca/2019/02/14/black-athletes-who-made-olympic-sport-history-in-canada/

Black Present:

Building on the strong foundation of Black Women Athletes before them you can find out about the present during February as well.

36 Black Women Athletes You Need to Know

https://balletblack.co.uk/

https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bs-sp-morgan-state-black-female-athlete-study-20180625-story.html

Black Futures:

Be sure to also include amazing Afrofuturist readings this February, imaging the future and reimagining our history. There are a great number of Black Authors and Artists sharing a vision of what could be.

If you are a Black Woman, thank you for reading my post. If you are a women looking to be a better ally take direct action by:

Buying from Black business owners
Seeking out & buying Black authored cookbooks to support your nutrition
Follow and financially support Black yogis
Seek out information on Black women athletes

How are you participating in Black History Month?

Category: Black Present

Serena Williams is on a GLP-1 weight-loss drug and the NYT commenters have comments. Mine for them: “mind your own business”

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It’s Black History month! Meet and greet some great athletes

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NY Times readers of color find joy outside

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Exercising while black: a few women’s stories

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Black History, Black Present and Black Futures

“For February, I challenge you to read something by a Black person that isn’t only about pre-Civil War American slavery, the Civil War, or the Civil Rights Era. Bonus points if you can go the whole month without touching those subjects and still reading a bunch of stuff by Black folk.”

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“For February, I challenge you to read something by a Black person that isn’t *only* about pre-Civil War American slavery, the Civil War, or the Civil Rights Era. Bonus points if you can go the whole month without touching those subjects and still reading a bunch of stuff by Black folk.”

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“For February, I challenge you to read something by a Black person that isn’t only about pre-Civil War American slavery, the Civil War, or the Civil Rights Era. Bonus points if you can go the whole month without touching those subjects and still reading a bunch of stuff by Black folk.”