On the face of it, it seems to be an unimportant, irrelevant controversy – a meaningless argument about clothing. Yet, the controversy involving Serena Williams and what she wears while playing the game of tennis – a game she has dominated for many years now – raises some important underlying questions of gender, policing women's bodies and even racism. Let’s take a look at the reason the French Tennis Federation is getting its kickers in a twist:
Tennis legend Serena Williams appeared on court at the French Open in this black cat suit. The ‘Wakanda-inspired’ catsuit is something that made her feel like a superhero, she said. According to French Tennis Federation President Bernard Giudicelli this cat suit will no longer be allowed. The dress code for the French Open will be enforced more strictly from now on, it is clarified. This has not gone down well with fans of Williams; a three time winner of the tournament and a hugely popular player the world over; arguably a G.O.A.T. !
Apparently the cat suit has “gone too far” according to Guidicelli; who felt that “one must respect the game and place”. Her full length suit is somehow seen as ‘disrespectful’. It is difficult to understand how her outfit disrespects anything at all; the game, the event or the venue.
This image of another player wearing something similar in white has been widely shared on social media. Dating back to 1985, the photo of Anne White is juxtaposed with the recent one of Williams to demonstrate what many claim is a racist double standard. At the time, White was asked to wear something ‘more appropriate’ but the outfit was not expressly banned.
So clearly there the trend of telling women what to wear has been an old one (I cannot think of a headline that spoke about policing men's clothing – in sport or elsewhere). There also seems to be a widely held view that this latest dress diktat owes itself to the fact that white men are still not comfortable with Williams’ body; that black women are subjected to more restrictions than others.
The sarcasm of this tweet underlines the incongruity and the irony of “a fat, bald, aging man to be making fashion decisions for elite athletes…” someone who is clearly neither a woman nor an athlete; nor…let’s face it, very fashionable!
There is actually a medical reason why Williams decided to opt for the skin tight all covering suit. It could act as a compression device to help to prevent blood clots. Williams who became a mother last year had undergone some life threatening clotting complications at the time. Since then, she has generally favoured wearing pants to try and prevent the situation from recurring. The cat suit was in keeping with this.
Nike, who designed Williams’ cat suit for her had a neat response: “You can take the superhero out of her costume, but you can never take away her superpowers. #justdoit”.
The 39 time tennis Grand Slam winner and former World No 1 Billie Jean King did not mince her words when she made it clear that this is a case of policing women's bodies and their choices. She puts things neatly into perspective when she says that the only respect needed here is for the “exceptional talent” that Williams brings to the game.
Williams has clearly decided to take the high road in the matter and put out a statement saying that the organisers of the French Open were free to make rules about the dress code. She indicated that she would abide by them and also said that she would no longer be wearing the suit for the American Open. Clearly she decided it wasn’t an issue worth taking a stand for – meanwhile how about everyone not take a stand for what a woman chooses to wear to work? How about simply respecting her decisions?
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