In Catsuit VS Tutu, neither won.
My social media feeds are abuzz with news of Serena Williams winning her first match in the US Open Tennis Championships in a cute tutu. This, after the French Tennis Federation (FTA) declared a ban on catsuits like the one Serena wore during the 2018 French Open.
PARIS, FRANCE – MAY 29: Serena Williams of The United States competes during her ladies singles first round match against Kristyna Pliskova of Czech Republic during day three of the 2018 French Open at Roland Garros on May 29, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
If you missed the recent hullabaloo, what happened was this: Serena wore a “Wakanda-inspired” catsuit at the French Open to prevent blood clots, a problem which the tennis champ has been battling since giving birth last September. After the tournament, FTA president Bernard Giudicelli said that such outfits “will no longer be accepted”, adding that “one must respect the game and the place.”
This caused an uproar on social media (obviously), with many criticizing the FTA for sexism. Tennis legend Billie Jean King even tweeted: “The policing of women’s bodies must end. The ‘respect’ that’s needed is for the exceptional talent @serenawilliams brings to the game. Criticizing what she wears to work is where the true disrespect lies.”
Serena’s response to the FTA’s new dress code was pretty mild, however. At a press conference she said breezily: “Everything’s fine, guys… I’ve since found other methods [to prevent blood clots]. When it comes to fashion, you don’t want to be a repeat offender.”
A few days later, Serena showed up at the US Open in a black and brown tennis dress with a fluffy tutu-esque tulle skirt and fishnet compression tights. (See more pictures here.)
Designed by Louis Vuitton’s menswear artistic director Virgil Abloh in collaboration with Serena Williams, the dress is part of Nike’s aptly-named “Queen” collection. Not only did Serena defeat Poland’s Magda Linette in said ensemble, the 23-time Grand Slam champion also commented that the one-shoulder design was “kind of aerodynamic”, and the tutu was “easy to play in.”
Now, whether this should be viewed as a classy “hit back” to her fashion critics or a seriously well-timed campaign is something you can decide for yourself.
I for one fully agree with Billie Jean King’s comment (people should really stop telling women what to wear!), but I also respect Serena’s decision not to dispute the catsuit ban.
As Nike tweeted, “You can take the superhero out of her costume, but you can never take away her superpowers.”
As I see it, Serena might be the only person – if not one of the very few – who can wear a catsuit and a tutu on the tennis court and not look absolutely ridiculous. But beyond Serena’s sartorial choices, what’s truly worth celebrating is the woman’s confidence in herself, her strength, and her amazing athletic skill.
Anyway, let’s hope we’ll get to see Serena play at the upcoming WTA finals held in Singapore this October. This is the last year that Singapore will host the WTA before it moves on to Shenzhen. 53 more days to go!
Images courtesy of Nike.
