A True Feminist Hero: Serena Williams Reminds Women To Check For Breast Cancer

She is a rebel…she is an activist…she is an inspiration…she is the hero that society needs but doesn’t deserve right now…She is Serena Williams. 

Serena Williams is the feminist icon that the world needs now. This acclaimed tennis player is never ashamed of putting forward her opinion to promote women’s rights and she proved it again now.

Recently, Williams stripped naked and sang a line from the 1991 smash Divinyls hit I Touch Myself in preparation for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

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Williams has teamed up with the I Touch Myself Project, which was launched in partnership with bra manufacturer Berlei in 2014 shortly after Chrissy Amphlett, the lead singer of Divinyls, died from breast cancer. Amphlett wanted the song to act as a reminder for women to check their breasts. Williams’ support for the initiative is indeed commendable, when we think of how many women receive a late diagnosis due to lack of early examination.

“I definitely am a feminist. I like to stick up for women and women’s rights.

Williams is a feminist who has always stood up for the rights of women in the fields of sports; who can forget her headline-grabbing Tutus in the French open of 2018. This was also a bold move that she took, to comment on the patriarchal policies in sports when the French Open banned her iconic ‘Black Panther’ style catsuit, a neck-to-ankle skintight outfit that was designed to help prevent blood clots.

Williams has a history of this medical problem and it proved more problematic after the birth of her child when she developed clots in her lungs. But apparently, Serena’s comfort wasn’t pleasing enough to the eyes of authorities who thought that the catsuit was not appropriate for a woman.

Although the catsuit did make her feel like a warrior princess from Wakanda that wasn’t enough for the authorities so she wore a set of tutus for the rest of the matches as an ironic comment on the ‘appropriate woman’ look for a sexist society.

“I’m going to continue to fight for women. The fact that I have to go through this is just an example for the next person that has emotions and that want to express themselves and they want to be a strong woman, and they are going to be allowed to do that because of today. Maybe it didn’t work out for me, but it’s going to work out for the next person.”

Body positivity & Confidence

Although Williams has been criticized a lot for her body structure, she wears confidence like a second skin, unabashedly showing her muscles and curves. She gives no credence to taunts that she is not ‘womanly’, embracing ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ qualities without prejudice. This is something that we all need to learn from her

Although Serena has done so much to empower women, she is still called ‘Controversial’ or ‘Tantrum Queen’ and this is sad because this is one woman who deserves every bit of her success. She has teamed up with Allstate Foundation’s Purple Purse initiative where she aims to be a powerful voice to speak up for others who may not be able to. She has taken a role on the board of Survey Monkey in a pointed attempt to get more women and people of colour active in Silicon Valley. She has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2011, through which she has helped to build schools in Africa.

Despite the many controversies that dog her for her outspoken nature, Serena Williams continues to be a queen, inspiring many young women like me, around the world.

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