Serena Williams Sends Positive Message In Her ‘Unretouched’ Cover Shoot

MotivationJuly 18, 2019

Serena Williams stuns fans in photos from her Harper’s Bazaar cover shoot. The tennis star bared her backside in unedited photos alongside a powerful essay about her controversial match at the US Open.

The 37-year-old appears unbothered in the August issue of Harper’s Bazaar showing off her athletic figure. The cover features the 23-time Grand Slam winner, wearing a sparkling gold dress by Stella McCartney. Inside the magazine, Serena wears an array of eye-catching gold gowns by Ralph Lauren and Lanvin alongside.
The entire series of pictures was published without any retouches made by computer programs. The feature was cleverly titled ‘The Naked Truth.’

The magazine’s issue is all about celebrating ‘the strength and beauty of women in their most authentic states.’ Accompanying the photos is a candid and vulnerable essay about Serena. The athlete addresses her memorable defeat to Naomi Osaka in the 2018 U.S. while she also apologizes to her opponent for her reaction, which overshadowed Naomi’s win.

“This incident — though excruciating for us to endure —exemplified how thousands of women in every area of the workforce are treated every day,” Williams says in the August issue. Serena goes on to represent the ‘strength and beauty of women’ by speaking out against prejudice “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 OK with. It’s shameful that our society penalized women just for being themselves.”

After the release, Serena took to Instagram. She posted an image from the photoshoot and wrote: “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.”
It’s no surprise that Serena’s post got her praises from her fans. Many complimented the celebrated athlete for always being so open and real with her fans. “Unretouched photos,” one wrote. “Giving REAL examples of women.”