Serena Williams called out “haters” who are suggesting she has attempted to whiten her skin.
The retired tennis superstar denied claims she used bleach to lighten her skin tone in an Instagram Live makeup tutorial on Monday. The 43-year-old former champion told her 17 million followers she loved being a “dark Black woman.”
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Promoting her beauty line, she said: “Then I put just that neutral color, that is actually my skin color, and no, for you haters out there, I do not bleach my skin.
“There is a thing called sunlight,” she added, “And in that sunlight, you get different colors.”
Social media users drew attention to Williams’ skin after a video of her helping at her daughter’s school play went viral. She explained to followers that she was wearing “stage makeup” at the time.
“Yes, I’m calling you out on this because it is ridiculous. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, she bleached her skin.’ I’m a dark, Black woman, and I love who I am, and I love how I look,” she added Monday.
She said skin lightening was “just not my thing” and continued: “If people do it, that’s their thing, and they have every opportunity and they should. I don’t judge, but you guys do. But that’s what this world is about, and I stay in my lane, the non-judgy one, and I keep it. But no, I actually don’t bleach my skin, so can we just kinda clear that up?”
In an interview with Vogue in 2020, Williams said: “I’ve never been a person that has been like, ‘I want to be a different color’ or ‘I want my skin tone to be lighter.’ I like who I am, I like how I look, and I love representing the beautiful dark women out there. For me, it’s perfect. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
