Serena Williams has had a fantastic year. Not only has the 39-year-old celebrated a Wimbledon victory, but she’s also been presented with the lauded title of Sportsperson of the Year.
Beating racehorse American Pharaoh to the post (who some believe was a more deserving victor, will let you form your own opinion on that), the tennis champion has received a tremendous amount of support for her win – but has been faced with a whole heap of criticism over her accompanying Sports Illustrated cover.
The cover shot, which sees the sports icon lounging on a gold throne, has upset a number of her fans because her thighs appear to have been slimmed down. Scantily clad in a black lace bodysuit with her long pins left bare, some of the tennis pro’s fans have been quick to voice their disappointment over her legs – which look a lot thinner than usual.
Williams shared the cover on her Instagram page, prompting the upset. Famous for her strong, athletic legs, many of the star’s followers are sad that the magazine would make the star appear slimmer.
“Why’d they photoshop her legs so much smaller?!,” wrote one person. Another commented: “I’m so disappointed that you had to be photo shopped to look like a skinny white girl to make the cover. Very sad. (sic)”
However, a huge amount of people praised Williams’ “stunning” cover, hailing her as an “inspiration”.
The Michigan-born champ has been the centre of much debate this year, thanks to vile Twitter trolls and body shamers.
After “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling sent a congratulatory tweet to Serena about her glorious 4x Grand Slam, she was forced to defend the star from a vile Twitter troll who said she was “built like a man”.
Since then, Williams has celebrated her body and showed just how incredible her figure is at a number of red carpet events, as well as posing topless for Pirelli’s 2016 calendar.
“This is me and I love me, and I’ve learned to love me. I’ve been like this my whole life, and I embrace me,” she said on “Good Morning America” in July.
“And I love how I look. I love that I’m a full woman, and I’m strong and I’m powerful and I’m beautiful at the same time, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
It would be a huge shame if the magazine did slim down the star’s thighs with her permission – she may not have the body shape of a model but she’s equally as beautiful and inspirational as any size 8 celeb. If not more so.
