Now that the Paris Olympics have wrapped up, fans can reflect on the heart-wrenching highs and lows, triumphs and failures, and hair dos and don’ts of their favorite star athlete — of course, we’re talking about Serena Williams.
Though Williams cheered the athletes from the sidelines at the Paris Games, she found herself in the center of the action when she and her family were denied access to the posh rooftop restaurant L’Oiseau Blanc at the famous Peninsula Hotel during the Olympics. Many wondered if racial or national discrimination was at the root of the mishap.
The restaurant’s first reason — that the tennis icon simply didn’t have a reservation — fell flat. Recently, an employee claimed she was “unrecognizable,” according to Variety. The athlete has come under fire for her hair and makeup choices, even fending off accusations of skin lightening in the past.
But Williams is not holding any grudges against the City of Light. In an Instagram post on Aug. 12, she shared two dreamy photos of herself standing on a Parisian balcony from her Airbnb overlooking the city.
Rocking honey-blond hair and a pink mini dress with matching pumps, she captioned the photos “Paris is always a good idea.”
Cue the comments.
“Except when they don’t let you go on the rooftop to have dinner with your family cause they no longer recognize you since you been wearing that blonde lace front,” said one critic who blamed the restaurant’s snub on Williams’ hair.
After the incident, some social media users called the Compton native “entitled” and demanded she apologize. A few new comments echoed that sentiment, claiming she played the race card to get a table. “Wasn’t she the one yelling racism when she couldn’t get a table at a restaurant that was all booked up?” wrote one.
Williams’ followers are not letting the judgmental comments stand and are jumping to her defense online. While the mother of two never stated exactly why she was denied entry with her family, many can’t shake the feeling it was rooted in disrespect — and her hair or supposed entitlement had nothing to do with it.
“I really don’t like how that restaurant treated you and your beautiful family,” wrote a supporter. Another observer referenced Ayesha Curry’s recent bizarre brush with Parisian police, alluding to deeper problems.
The wife of Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry should have been celebrating the team’s gold victory with her husband but was caught up in a police altercation instead at the scene of a police roadblock in Paris.
In an alarming video that emerged on Aug. 11, Ayesha was shown wearing her 3-month-old son, Caius, in a baby carrier with her older son, Canon, by her side as she was swarmed by policemen. The mother of four was in tears, and Warriors forward Draymond Green could be heard in the video saying something about the baby being hit in the head.
“As racist as they are?? Really? Love you, Serena, but the way we’ve been treated there from Jasmine to Ayesha and what I have experienced myself, we don’t need to go back to Paris ever,” stated a sympathizer on her Instagram post, while another quipped, “Not if they hit your baby in the head.”
Ayesha Curry was seen tearing up after being assaulted & harassed by some French people, at some point later in the video Draymond Green walked up to the police to explain to them that a baby was hit 😳 pic.twitter.com/uSLSsTlgZ9
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) August 11, 2024
An X user who identified herself as part of the “childless cat lady” contingent also jumped into the fray, cutting to the quick with a sarcastic comment in support of Williams.
They wrote, “The Paris restaurant didn’t recognize Serena Williams because she arrived as a black woman. She should have known better and blondify her skin in the style of L’Oiseau Blanc. C’est dommage, madame. Je suis désolée.”
Now that the Olympics are over, the world’s celebrities and athletes are getting ready to bid adieu to Paris — some perhaps for good. But no matter where Williams finds herself next, her fans are sure to follow, as one commenter summed up:
“Serena Williams is always a good idea.”
