The greatest women’s tennis player of all time shattered records with 23 grand slams, setting a gold standard. But these days, all eyes are on Serena Williams’ golden hair, or at least her detachable hair.
The style police are out in full force, this time patrolling Williams’ Instagram account, where she debuted a honey-blond hairdo in support of Olympic gold for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team.
Wearing a little black dress and striking sultry poses, Williams posted photos of herself against a chic copper-colored backdrop that perfectly matched her new look.
“Trying to look golden for my ladies in gymnastics. I am loving every minute of watching you be GREAT,” she captioned the photo, tagging Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Childs, Jade Carey, and Hezley Rivera. The women’s gymnastics team is the most dominant in Olympic history, and they’re on a quest to sweep the medals with a little encouragement from the tennis legend.
Williams’ new wavy blond locks brought out a few trolls, who attempted to volley insults before they were immediately crushed by her fans.
“All the things she accomplished in life and she’s still not happy inside. Take that stupid wig off and be proud of your natural beauty,” wrote one critic. “Why did you change your beautiful face?” wrote another, alluding to rumors of physical alterations.
This time her fans weren’t having it. They turned out in droves on Instagram to show their full support for her glow-up.
Amid hundreds of heart and fire emojis (ok, and a few eggplants), one commenter exclaimed, “Good to see u healthy!!” while another quipped, “Love the hairdo.”
“Your hair has been everything lately,” noted an admirer, while others praised her stylists, “Your glam team is killing it, u look amazing.”
Black women on TikTok are criticizing her hair, but many others are defending her. Seriously, what do they expect her hair to look like when she’s tumbling and flipping all day? Serena Williams was treated the same way. Both are arguably two of the greatest female athletes ever. https://t.co/LcI2G61g3y
— Jad Crnogorac (@jadcrnogorac) July 30, 2024
42-year-old Williams has rocked many hairstyles through the years, from black to blond, curly to straight, bangs, no bangs, and everything in between. But rarely has she seen such an outpouring of love for her hair.
Instead, the mother of two has navigated relentless comments about “frizzy hair” and unflattering makeup. On the heels of launching her own makeup line, WYN Beauty, she dodged accusations of skin bleaching and cosmetic surgery. Even a 5-year-old Olympia Ohanian once innocently exclaimed, “It’s a WIG!!!” to a fan who complimented her mom’s curly locks.
As recently as June, Williams got an earful online when she left the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Paris with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, and was caught on video not appearing perfect. She reportedly was on a romantic getaway, enjoying kid-free time and relaxing. Soon enough, the negative comments flooded in, claiming she’s “lost herself.”
Not this time. As one admirer of her new look commented, “Gold Medal Goes to Serena Williams.” She can add it to her collection.
