Tennis legend Serena Williams shared photos from her shoot with Harper’s Bazaar Magazine. The photos, which were later shared on Instagram, were unretouched i.e. no filters and no photoshop!
The photos show some of what people would call flaws: scars, hyperpigmentation, moles, etc.
Along with the shoot was an essay which Williams penned where she spoke about her mental breakdown after she was penalised at the 2018 US Open when she played and lost to Naomi Osaka.
“I’m proud to use my voice and words to share an essay on the raw feelings I had during a match we may all remember,” she wrote on Instagram.
During the game, Williams was penalised three times for what she terms as unfair treatment because she is a woman. She ended up not only losing the match but also questioning herself about why she had to be punished for being passionate about a sport she loved.
“Days passed, and I still couldn’t find peace. I started seeing a therapist,” she confessed.
“This incident—though excruciating for us to endure—exemplified how thousands of women in every area of the workforce are treated every day.
“We are not allowed to have emotions, we are not allowed to be passionate. We are told to sit down and be quiet, which frankly is just not something I’m okay with.
“It’s shameful that our society penalizes women just for being themselves,” she wrote in the essay.
“I think of the next girl who is going to come along who looks like me, and I hope, maybe, just maybe, my voice will help her.”
Which body part do you wish you could detach temporarily and why?