Serena Williams Wrote a Powerful Letter About Being Body-Shamed: "We Don't All Look the Same"

Serena Williams just gave birth to a baby daughter (opens in new tab), and took a moment out of being the best mom ever to write a beautiful essay on Reddit (opens in new tab) (dedicated to her mom) about not wanting her daughter to be body-shamed.

"I was looking at my daughter (OMG, yes, I have a daughter 😳) and she has my arms and legs!" the tennis champion said. "My exact same strong, muscular, powerful, sensational arms and body. I don't know how I would react if she has to go through what I've gone through since I was a 15 year old and even to this day. I've been called man because I appeared outwardly strong. It has been said that that I use drugs (No, I have always had far too much integrity to behave dishonestly in order to gain an advantage). It has been said I don't belong in Women's sports—that I belong in Men's—because I look stronger than many other women do."

Serena continued by saying she was "born with this badass body and proud of it," and thanked her mother for always being her champion: "I'm not sure how you did not go off on every single reporter, person, announcer, and quite frankly, hater, who was too ignorant to understand the power of a black woman. I am proud we were able to show them what some women look like. We don't all look the same. We are curvy, strong, muscular, tall, small, just to name a few, and all the same: we are women and proud!"

She ended the note with a message directly to her mom, saying: "I hope to teach my baby Alexis Olympia the same, and have the same fortitude you have had. Promise me, Mom, that you will continue to help. I'm not sure if I am as meek and strong as you are yet. I hope to get there one day. I love you dearly."

💜 💜 💜.

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