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Serena
Williams is an icon. For many women, her
name rings familiar as one echoed throughout childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. The tennis star is a reflection of both our
age and a reminder that we do not all age the same. Simply put, we do not all possess the same
level of commitment to being the best version of ourselves. If women who have known that name within
their lifetimes displayed similar devotion to transcending barriers, perhaps
the 21st century may see women holding more power within our current
American society. Williams is the
embodiment of the woman who strives to outdo the person she was the day before,
and she exists as a salient reminder that many of us can afford success in the
face of adversity. She is the model for
resiliency in facing adversity within a profession as a minority female athlete
who may, as such, experience greater scrutiny.
And so we persist in part due to women like Williams who endure as the avatar
for women within the United States, for what we can be if we choose to confront
barriers. After entering motherhood, she
has even more greatly upheld this truth.
Oh yes, she…...we can truly do it all.
As long as it’s not in a catsuit.
In
a world in which women are still the partner most often expected to choose
between career and parenthood (Galley, 2014) Williams now fully represents the
tangible opportunity for a woman to function in the maternal and professional
roles at once. Her entry into parenthood
after giving birth to her first child in September of 2017 (Kimble, 2017)
juxtaposes the fierce, dominant nature of athleticism with the benevolent
qualities of being a mother. When correlating
motherhood with the persona of a powerful athlete, one may anticipate the
subtle discomfort of cognitive dissonance creep in, but in this day the
Olympian turned mother-and-athlete is generally embraced as a member of both clubs. Now, more than ever, Williams is truly
representative of women who strive to connect with various aspects of the multifaceted
female identity. We can be dominant and nurturing, fierce and soft, commanding and doting, aggressive and patient, and
kind,
and loving, and all of the things the good-enough mother is. We can be the master of a craft (that does
not involve glue, smilies, or glitter) and the master of our feminine sides
(which can be quite glittery) at the same damn time. William’s return to tennis highlighted this
tangible reality. However, when she
chose to wear a skin-tight, black spandex body suit, developed by Nike and
designed to preserve the physical well-being of a woman who experienced blood
clots post-childbirth (Dicker, 2018), the president of the French Tennis
Federation, Bernard Giudicelli, publicly stated his disapproval (Dawson, 2013). He indicated the outfit was inappropriate and
announced it would be prohibited in subsequent French open tournaments.
A
similar reaction occurred in 2002, when Williams wore a different controversial
outfit (Hobson, 2013). The catsuit’s
predecessor was also tight, black spandex and drew attention to her womanlier
curves, most notably the buttocks, an area of the Black woman’s body Hobson
(2013) claims can be viewed in an unfavorable manner. In fact, a Black woman’s body has, more often
than that of a Caucasian woman, been viewed as one of indecency (Lawson, 2000),
and William’s earlier controversy even caused critique of her muscular body as
being too masculine (Hobson, 2013). In a
peculiar fashion, her femininity was too apparent and femininity simultaneously
minimized.
The
preoccupation with Black women’s curves is suggested to be offspring of a long
history of fetishizing and degrading these features (Hobson, 2013). This dates back to at least the 1800s, when
Sarartije (Sara) Baartman, also commonly referred to as Hottentot Venus, was
transported from South Africa to Europe to reside for a significant portion of
her life. There, she existed as a
spectacle (SAHO, 2018). She was put on
display and her markedly sizable buttocks observed with both curious
fascination and disgust. During this
time larger buttocks were considered fashionable (Kentake, 2017). Thus, some may endorse the notion that
onlookers admired Baartman for this feature.
Yet she was enslaved and forced to showcase her body as an oddity to
people outside of her own culture. The
display of Baartman for direct observation of her pronounced physical features
is a reprehensible illustration of a unique form of scrutiny that people
outside of the African American community may be unable to fully grasp or
appreciate.
Baartman
was not necessarily a willing participant in the manifestation her legacy. Instead, she was a slave who was also
illiterate when she signed a contract that required she travel throughout
Europe to continue work as a slave and serve as an attraction (SAHO, 2018). Later, she was showcased alongside a circus
animal. Baartman was kept in cages and
directed to move about by someone functioning as an animal trainer would
(Kentake, 2017). She died in her
twenties (SAHO, 2018). For over two decades
this woman was without freedom. When a
spectacle she was often showcased in scarce clothing and is rumored to have
indulged in substance use to cope with her circumstance (Kentake, 2017). Her history provides a horrific
representation of the way in which African American women have been stigmatized
and the center of revolting scrutiny.
The
preoccupation with curvy bodies is reflected in current times, with women even
going to great lengths to mimic such features, be it through photo shop or butt
implants. The rising popularity of
exaggerated curves can be observed through a simple search of current Instagram
models or celebrities. However, the same
features that are idealized can also be the subject of negative scrutiny. Our society does not currently subject women
to the same level of maltreatment Sara Baartman endured, but many women do not
choose to be a willing participant in others’ repugnant perceptions. Likewise, the current preoccupation with
emphasized curves is not without paradox when considering the role of history.
Black
women in particular tend to experience greater negative scrutiny of their body
types. However, the policing of women’s
bodies and clothing certainly does not exclude women of different cultural or
ethnic groups. A Caucasian tennis
player, Anna White, received a similar reaction after donning a white, spandex
catsuit to a 1985 Wimbledon match (Feinstein, 1985). Some argue White received less harsh
criticism, but her catsuit was another that did not make a second
appearance. It was poorly received by
many and prohibited in future Wimbledon matches (Hobson, 2012). As such, patterns of sexism are not limited
to perceptions of Black women’s bodies, and Williams is not the only female
tennis player to have her autonomy infringed upon. Be it to various degrees, all women are
subjected to this form of sexism.
Minority women, though, have a longstanding account of body policing that
has historical roots, some entrenched in tragic oppression, cruelty, and
discrimination.
In
addition to the historical context of body and clothes policing, such phenomena
may have an evolutionary basis. From an
evolutionary standpoint, certain male behavior is explained by the inability to
establish paternity. Modern technology
aside, a man can never be certain the child he is providing for is his. While studying human sexuality has led me to
entertain the assumption that this is the basis for jealousy, this primal force
motivating behavior is also suggested to result in control of women’s bodies as
a means to ensure no other man has access to her (Chrisler, 2010). In current times, this can present as men
dictating the degree to which a woman’s sexuality is evident to others. Simply put, it looks like men telling women
what to wear. Yet, regardless of a
possible evolutionary basis, such behaviors continue to stigmatize women. A
woman should certainly be mindful of how she is presenting, yet others should
be mindful of how worldview affects perception and subsequently, behavior. Instead of requiring men to reframe their
view of the woman’s body, the oversexualization of women and promotion of
submissive deference is reinforced within a culture by telling the woman she must
hide that which makes others uncomfortable, be it an opinion, a superior
ability, or evident curves.
In
exploring the topic of policing women’s bodies I can’t help but recall one of
my most notable celebrity encounters (beyond meeting Orville Redenbacher and
Vanilla Ice, sadly on separate occasions).
As a fan of Janelle Monáe, a singer and actor who often employs
pro-equality lyrics in her music and re-defines femininity through her fashion
choices and messaging, I referenced her on several occasions through social
media. Despite my shameless plugs for
her music and film productions never having been noted, Monáe did respond to a comment
in which I eluded to her having sold out to the industry. I was referring to her song, “Yoga.”
I
felt Monáe abandoned her feminist ideals for lyrics such as, “Baby bend over; Let your booty do the yoga,”
for the single to become one of her only mainstream tracks. The reference to selling out is what caught
her attention. In a comment on my
Instagram post, she reciprocated my brash assessment in referencing a line from
“Yoga (AZLyrics, 2018):” “You cannot police me, so get off my
areola.” Message heeded (back
off peasant), but the comment was also successful in drawing my attention to Monáe
still serving as an advocate for women. She
was not, in fact, selling out (though some lyrics negated those promoting
empowerment). She was confronting our
culture’s persistence in telling women the range of ways she should behave
(when people want it, how they want it). “Get
off my areola” is an assertive stance in opposition to critiques that
constantly shroud a woman’s choices. The
description of policing of women’s bodies reflects the exact norm that
subjected Williams to such criticism for her French open outfit. Monáe’s message suits our culture now and
will most likely apply into the distant future.
Interestingly, in my assessment of her song I was also engaging in the
same behavior she was drawing attention to.
Yet to the contrary, my assessment could also be viewed simply as an
opinion. Of course, this could be left
for debate.
While
appropriate professional attire is compulsory and the selections women make for
their professional attire must certainly be appropriate for the setting, the
notion that a female athlete must minimize either her athletic or feminine
features is absurd. Tennis star, Serena
Williams is not an anomaly in her experience.
She simply cannot prevent her womanhood from being so apparent it
offends someone. Evident in the curves
she is expected to go to great lengths to hide is a shared cultural inability
to see a person first before identifying a sexual being that exists under the many layers of alternative
roles that compose a woman’s identity.
The body parts often associated with women’s sexuality, in this case the
pronounced buttocks, breasts, and thighs, are perceived as a source of disgust,
a threat, or too striking a reminder of our sexuality or ways in which we do
not fully represent others’ perceptions of femininity. Acting on these perceptions perpetuates the
belief that these body parts are a menace to be avoided.
Despite
William’s body existing as a source of food for her child and a tool for her
labor she, in this case, is primarily perceived as a sexual object. Successful avoidance of her pronounced
features is achieved through prohibiting her catsuit. Williams will live on as an icon, yet in her
lifetime may never be enough for her accomplishments to stand out more than her
lady lumps. For that reason, she is all
of us. But Ms. Serena (Ms. William’s if
you’re nasty), keep doing what you are doing.
Next time, maybe try it with glitter.
Written by Aimee M. Poleski, M.A.
References
Dawson,
A. (2013). The
'Black Panther'-style catsuit that made Serena Williams feel like a 'warrior princess' has reportedly been
banned from future French Open tournaments. Retrieved
from https://nordic.businessinsider.com/serena-williams-wakanda-inspired-catsuit-banned-from-the-french-open-2018-8/
Dicker,
R. (2018.) Serena
Williams’ ‘Wakanda-inspired catsuit’ banned by French Open.
Retrieved from: https://www.huffingtonpost.in/2018/08/25/serena-williams-wakanda- inspired-catsuit-banned-by-french-open_a_23509121/
Feinstein,
J. (1985). Bodysuit bites the dust. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/
archive/lifestyle/1985/06/29/bodysuit-bites-the-dust/e602f07d-2402-44ca-98f2-7 6f65326566b/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.541ce8f0e1e3
Galley,
J. (2014). Monthly Labor Review (MLR). National Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved
from: https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2014/beyond-bls/stay-at-home-mothers-through-the-years.htm
Hobson,
J. (2003). The “batty” politic: Toward an aesthetic of the black female body. Hypatia, 18(4),
87-105. doi 68.0.192.230
Kentake,
M. (2017). Sarah
Baartman: The first known Black female victim of trafficking.
Retrieved
from: http://theweeklychallenger.com/sarah-baartman-the-first-known-black-female-victim-of-trafficking/
Kimble,
L. (2017). It's
a girl! Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian welcome daughter Alexis Olympia. Retrieved from: https://people.com/parents/serena-williams-alexis-ohanian-welcome-daughter-alexis-olympia/
Lawson,
E. (2000). Black women’s mothering in a
historical and contemporary perspective: Understanding
the past, forging the future. Journal of the Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community
Involvement, 2(2).
Monáe,
J. (2018). Yoga. AZLyrics. Retrieved from
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/Janellemone/yoga.html
South
African History Online (SAHO).
(2018). Sara “Saartjie” Baartman. Retrieved from: http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/sara-saartjie-baartman
Monáe,
J. (2018). Yoga. AZLyrics. Retrieved from
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/
Janellemone/yoga.html
