Serena Williams covers the September issue of Essence, which has been newly redesigned for its 25th anniversary. The issue will take audiences “on a world tour of Black creatives from fashion and art to culture and business.” Serena is all of the above and then some. The cover image was created when Nigerian-born artist Laolu Senbanjo used face paint to create what is referred to a “tribal” look. In the behind-the-scenes video, artist Senbanjo talks about how Serena is a huge inspiration for the boys and girls (and men and women) of Nigeria. In the first excerpts from the cover story, Serena talks about investing in herself, being free and her latest fashion line. Some highlights:
Her fashion line: “My biggest joy is that I know that I’m doing something that I’ve always wanted to do, that I always dreamed of doing. I just needed to do it on my own. Because when you invest in yourself, it helps your confidence, and you’ll know forever that whether you make it or not, you stepped up to the plate.”
On freedom: “Freedom means standing up and not being afraid to say, ‘I’m here’ or ‘Hear my voice’ or ‘This isn’t what I agreed to’ or ‘This isn’t fair and that isn’t right.’ I’ve done it my whole career. It’s knowing where I’ve come from, knowing my history, in particular, the sport that I’m in. When I first started, there weren’t a lot of people who looked like me. So it was really important to always help other people feel as if this is something they could also be a part of…”
On not calling it ‘plus sized’: “We want to be inclusive. We have an extended size, and we call it great because I don’t like the word ‘plus.’ So we call it S Great because every woman is great.”
There’s always a lot of talk about Serena’s legacy in the sport of tennis, like it’s something that hasn’t happened yet. What’s funny is that Serena is playing young women right now who grew up watching her and Venus. Those girls of all races, of all backgrounds, dreamt of playing like Serena and playing Serena. It’s not just the Coco Gauffs and Naomi Osakas, the young women of color whose parents followed the same path as Serena and Venus’s parents. At the Australian Open this year, she beat a blonde Ukrainian teenager, Dayana Yastremska, who grew up worshiping Serena and dreaming of meeting her. I’m just saying… Serena’s legacy is happening now and it’s a lot bigger than “she inspires little girls in America.”
Cover and photos/IGs courtesy of Essence.
Serena looks SO GLORIOUS in those pictures. It reminds me of Issa Ray’s Essence shoot not too long ago. There’s something different about working with people who know how to make your melanin pop and glow.
She looks lush and lovely and fierce and powerful.
And I’m loving all of the conversations I’m seeing from Black women about Freedom, as well. I’m so here for it.
What a beautiful cover
Late to the party because timezones, real life etc, but I can’t believe there are no people interested in tennis and/or Serena. Saying I’m disappointed would be an understatement.
Not only is Serena GOAT in tennis, men included, but she’s beautiful and her message is a lot more important than things other famous people have to offer, looking at Goop, the Jenndashians and the like.
AAAAAAAMAZING COVERRRRR YES SERENA!!!!!!!
She looks amaze balls and a big yes to everything she said!
All of those photos are AMAZING