‘I Swear She Used to be Black’: Serena Williams’ Unrecognizable Look Sparks a Storm of Attacks Following Latest Video Drop

Serena Williams’ fans are unsure what to make of her beauty choices as her appearance has continued to be the subject of criticism.

The retired world-class tennis player has been sharing a clip from her “Hot Ones” interview on Instagram, reinvigorating debates about whether her appearance was altered with a physician’s help.

The popular video shows Williams explaining the backstory of her infamous on-court grunts. In the comments, what person asked, “What did she do to her face?” While another stated, “Her face looks very different.”

Serena Williams' fans come to her defense after critics accuse her of using lip fillers. (Photo: @serena.ventures/Instagram)
Serena Williams’ fans come to her defense after critics accuse her of using lip fillers. (Photo: @serena.ventures/Instagram)

Reactions to the clip quickly turned to claims that the seven-time Wimbledon Cup winner had turned to fillers to enhance her appearance. 

“Her face is barely moving,” criticized one person, alluding to possible Botox use. A disappointed fan commented, “Love u Serena, wtf is with your lips.” Amid the nitpicking of Williams’ face, several people were determined to defend her against the unkind remarks.

One defense read, “It’s obvious whoever did her makeup tried outlining outside her lip line but it’s not really working for her. Her lips are already full. She doesn’t need to Kylie them up.” Someone else rallying behind Williams wrote, “She literally just has make up on…. you people are miserable.”

And a third laid into the critics when they commented, “Y’all have managed to turn a video about her sport and her CRAFTSMANSHIP nonetheless into a botox witch-hunt. The mental gymnastics to justify criticizing an athlete’s body is actually impressive. Your misogynoir is showing.”

But debates about Williams smoothing out wrinkles and plumping her face to restore the appearance of her youth were not the only unflattering assessments being made about her appearance.

Once again, the complexion of her skin took the spotlight. “D—n, she’s really going overboard with the skin bleaching,” she wrote one person. A second uttered a similar thought with, “I swear she used to be black.”

The WYN Beauty founder has been accused of skin bleaching on and off for years. In 2021, a photo posted to her Instagram went viral for all the wrong reasons. In the image, Williams’ face seemed to be several shades lighter than anyone had ever witnessed.

As the barrage of cruel comments accusing her of trying to whitewash her image, the photo was deleted. Hours later, many suspected that she posted a more melted flick to shut down the bleaching banter.

Still, as witnessed in the comments of the “Hot Ones” post, people remain unconvinced that she has not made any efforts to have a more Hollywood-esque look with lighter skin and popular go-to beauty fixes to keep her appearing forever young.

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