There is no way for hecklers to dim Serena Williams’ confidence as her appearance continues to be a hot topic among fans.
But that does not mean that critical comments about her appearance have gone unnoticed. She proved just that when she joined in on the viral TikTok “demure” trend. In an Aug. 22 upload, she made it known that when she looks in the mirror she feels the only thing people should see when they look at her is victory.
“You see how I win in my makeup? It’s not too much. It’s just enough. It’s not overwhelming. It’s very mindful. It’s very demure. It’s very classy. It’s…what’s the word? It’s rich, that’s the word, rich,” said Williams as the video toggled between photos of her recent outings and clips of her talking directly to the camera.
For years, the tennis icon was praised for being at the top of her athletic game, but she has not received the same outpouring of compliments off the court. Fans and critics alike are often stuck between throwing their hands up in defeat and gently holding hers, figuratively speaking, as they give her unsolicited advice on improving her makeup and alleged plastic surgery procedures.
Reactions to the post were evidence that fans are not letting up on their gripes with her.
“It gives Sammy Sosa,” responded a fan on TikTok.
“Yes, you do look very rich! When a lot of people become rich they start playing games with their face & they begin to develop that rich I went to mess up my face look,” read another comment.
A third follower said, “I think we just have to accept the fact that this is her new look and we can’t do anything about it.”
@serena Demure ✨ classy ✨ & always WYNNING @WYN BEAUTY #beauty #beautyhacks #wynbyserenawilliams #demure #classy ♬ Mexico Romantic Serenade – AlexPaul
Williams launched her very own cosmetics line, Wyn Beauty, this spring. The vegan and cruelty-free brand has ten products for the face, lips, and eyes and boasts a color range of 91 shades.
The ultra-affordable lineup of face tints, concealers, lip colors, eyeliner, and mascaras has been a staple part of the retired athlete’s glam looks for the red carpet, at the ESPYs, and beyond in recent months.
However, one of the many persistent criticisms she receives is that her makeup is too light, often making her appear pale and washed out depending on the lighting. In the comments, the hyper-focused assessments of her skin tone remained. Claims that she has experimented with skin bleaching have run rampant throughout her career and even now in her retirement.
“It’s very ‘I wanna be a white woman,’” a critic said. Williams’ blond hair also came under fire, with some people likening her style choice to her attempting to achieve a more European standard of beauty. Someone else wrote, “It’s giving ‘Get Out,’ things ain’t been right since you took dem beads out.”
Serena Williams Faces Skin Bleaching and Plastic Surgery Accusations
— Kio Amachree (@Ivory1957) June 25, 2024
Recently, Serena Williams has faced scrutiny over her appearance, with accusations of skin bleaching and cosmetic surgery on her nose and lips. These claims have sparked significant debate and defense from her… pic.twitter.com/HFZ9tcKNGE
But her true supporters did not idly sit by as the discourse about the Wimbledon legend continued. In her defense, one person wrote, “Yall tripping. Her makeup looks much better than before.” A second user stated, “The way the world has bullied Serena & her sister they STILL win like she said RICH.”
Williams has been on a roll with subtly clapping back at detractors who insist on dissecting her looks. In an Aug. 21 Instagram post she captioned a photo of herself “100% real … forehead to toe … lol,” seemingly shutting down the accusations of going under the knife to alter her appearance.
Fans say that the TikTok post sends a clear message” “If don’t come for me unless I call you was a person. Gurl!!! Wynning!”
