Much has been said about Caroline Wozniacki’s on-court impersonation of Serena Williams. The Danish tennis player set off an uproar of criticism when she stuffed her bra and buttocks with padding to mimic Willliams’ physique and proceeded to prance around the court, much to the delight of the crowd.
While some sports commentators found the prank “hilarious,” others on social media deemed it outright offensive. One commentator on tumblr wrote: “It may have been done in ‘jest,’ but I love how people can turn a black woman’s body and sexuality into a caricature.”
Many African-American influencers felt it was bad joke and Wozniacki was essentially making fun of Black women’s bodies.
One article on feministing.com said: “Given the history and current-day context of racialized standards of beauty, and the hypersexualization of people of color, when a white woman makes fun of a black women’s body, especially in a way that hypersexualizes her and draws on the stereotype of black women’s big butts, it’s racist.”
So was it innocent fun or racist? Williams thinks it’s much ado about nothing. “I know Caro and I would call her my friend,” she wrote in an email to USA Today. “I don’t think she (meant) anything racist by it.”
Williams also pointed to other players who have impersonated her but weren’t accused of racism. “[Andy] Roddick and [Novak] Djokovic do it all the time and Caro does (it) and now it’s racist.??” she said.
Nonetheless, Williams cautioned her friend to stay away from a prank that makes people angry. “If people feel this way, she should take reason and do something different next time,” she wrote.
The 23-time tennis champ added that she tries to stay above the negativity at all times. “At the end of the day I spend my time focused on things to become better and not bring me down,” she continued.
Wozniacki has done the Serena imitation before, dancing with extra padding in her shirt and skirt to a Rihanna song at an exhibition match in Slovakia last year.
What do you think? Should we move on now that Serena says she isn’t offended?
