Sport

Serena Williams – Female Icon or Masculine Impersonator?

In the world of sport, there is no woman more respected, feared and admired than Serena Williams. A sweeping statement perhaps, but several of the world’s most popular sports are dominated by men – football, rugby, cricket and cycling to name a few. It’s difficult to name any other significant female athlete – except for the Olympians we came to know and love so well last year. Williams has an unparalleled record, one that is especially impressive considering she has come back from suffering hematoma and a pulmonary embolism as well as other significant injuries.

Just look at this record – incredible by anyone’s standards;

Serena Grand Slams

Williams is a force to be reckoned with, on and off the court. Not only has she set records in her sport; she’s launched a handbag and jewellery line, named Signature Statement; she’s written an autobiography and co-written another book; she owns part of the Miami Dolphins; she set up a school in Kenya and has campaigned extensively for breast cancer awareness and treatment; and Williams has appeared on several television series and music videos. Despite facing considerable criticism for her often fiery temperament on court, as well as her apparent devotion to activities away from tennis, something that is little discussed is how she is an absolute emblem of strength and inspiration for women.

Too often I have heard men object to Williams’ appearance, criticising her muscular figure, on-court grunting and ‘masculine’ appearance and behaviour. I hasten to add apostrophes to ‘masculine’ as I subscribe to Judith Butler’s view that gender is performative and hugely affected by the society around us – what we perceive to be ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’, both very loose topics in themselves, is heavily influenced by the society and context from which we are speaking. In this case, the point of view of the men I discussed Williams with was from a white, British, middle-class point of view, all tennis fans.

Twitter Grab

Rather than criticising Williams for her apparent lack of ‘femininity,’ we should be celebrating her strength, determination and success. Certainly there are other women on the tour, past and present, who are skinner or appear more ‘feminine’ – taken Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova or Martina Navratilova as examples – and they’ve all had great success in the game. It seems that Williams, due to her success and what others deem a ‘masculine’ physique, is simply more intimidating than these other women, some of whom are not as assertive or confident in their ability. Williams has been professional for almost twenty years and has had incredible success – hasn’t she earnt the right to be proud of herself?

Something I find particularly admirable is her campaign for Tampax; she featured in an advert a few years back, hitting tennis balls at Mother Nature who came bearing her monthly period. Appearing in such an advert and drawing attention to what is arguably the worst thing about being a female is great, something other famous women should be more ready to do. She also has a lucrative deal with Nike, promoting products such as the Fuel Band and always sporting colourful fearless outfits on court – except for Wimbledon, where she puts her individual stamp on things with a trench coat, for example.

Williams is the player who provokes the most interest, debate and admiration amongst tennis lovers. The women’s game has been a bit up and down recently – especially during William’s hiatus due to illness – for want of a role model or clear pack of leaders who, together, create a standard for the others to meet. In the men’s game, we have the fierce foursome of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray, each of whom have tribes of loyal followers and who the rest can only hope to beat or, at least, give a run for their money. In this sense Williams stands alone in the women’s game as an unflappable contender, full of fiery passion and determination nearly twenty years after turning professional.

Yet commentary and popular culture surrounding her seems to dismiss her success and focus on her ‘masculine’ physique, because she has more toned arms or bigger muscles than the woman on the other side of the net. I suppose this is part of today’s popular culture that demeans women for so much as a freckle – not that this is an excuse. Instead of dismissing her because she doesn’t conform to the size 0 trend, we should be taking inspiration from her toned, strong physique alongside her success and unique personality. Simply put, women’s tennis and the culture surrounding it just wouldn’t be the same without her.

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