Serena Williams expressed discomfort after entering her hotel in New York City and discovering a decorative cotton plant.
The tennis legend, who recently faced criticism for promoting a weight-loss jab, shared the moment on her Instagram Stories on Thursday (September 25).
Serena was in the Big Apple for the launch of Kim Kardashian’s Skims/Nike collaboration.
Image credits: serenawilliams/Instagram
Addressing her followers, she focused her camera on the unusual decorative piece.
“Alright, everyone. How do we feel about cotton as decoration?” she asked her fans.
“Personally for me, it doesn’t feel great.”
Serena didn’t reveal the name of the hotel where she was staying.
Image credits: serenawilliams/Instagram Stories
In another post, the 44-year-old could be seen plucking a cotton ball from a “branch” and taking it to her nails, saying it felt like “nail polish remover cotton.”
After the event, she shared a photo of herself with Kim and Khloé Kardashian and dedicated a sweet message to the famous sisters.
“Back with my girls for one epic night! Over 20 years of friendship and we still laugh like no one else is in the room,” she wrote. “Congratulations on your NikeSkims success!”
The tennis legend posted on Instagram Stories questioning the decor piece and saying it didn’t “feel great” to her
Image credits: serenawilliams/Instagram Stories
Though Serena didn’t explain why she found the décor inappropriate, many users interpreted her comments as suggesting the piece evoked slavery.
Cotton was cultivated and harvested by Black enslaved people in the American South during the 18th and 19th centuries, driven by the Industrial Revolution’s demand for textile goods. By 1850, Southern slaves grew more than 80% of the world’s cotton.
Slaves were denied citizenship, considered private property, and subjected to physical ab*se during their labor. Slavery was abolished with the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865 following the Civil War.
Image credits: kimkardashian/Instagram
The post comes a month after Serena collaborated with GLP-1 medicine company Ro in a highly criticized ad.
In a promotional clip shared by the company, the mother seemingly injected herself with the weight-loss jab, which she said her body “needed” after having two children.
“Yes, I’m on Ro. They say GLP-1 weight loss is a shortcut. It’s not. It’s science,” the tennis champ states in the video, explaining that the medicine helped her lose 31 pounds (14 kg).
Serena compared a cotton ball from the display to “nail polish remover cotton”
Image credits: serenawilliams/Instagram Stories
The post, shared on August 21, was criticized by many of her fans as sending a “terrible message” and being “very disappointing.”
“Fantastic, now we can undo all the progress we made on letting women know it’s ok to take time, recover, and get back in shape or not to,” one critic sarcastically commented.
“After kids it’s a medicine my body needed WHAT IN THE WORLDDDDD!!!! There has to be a large sum behind this because this is absolutely wild,” someone else remarked.
Image credits: serenawilliams/Instagram Stories
Megan Jayne Crabbe, a body-positive activist, said she lamented that Serena’s body had been scrutinized throughout her career and that she had been subjected to “horribly misogynistic and racist” comments, rather than having people focus on her athletic achievements.
Serena is in New York for Kim Kardashian’s Skims/Nike launch
“But you have been powerful enough to challenge that narrative. You have shown us that health comes in different shapes and sizes and that what our bodies can DO is more important than how they look.”
Image credits: serenawilliams/Instagram
Meanwhile, others defended the Grand Slam champion, emphasizing that she’s free to lose weight however she pleases and to promote the product if she’s happy with its results.
“F the haters. Good for you, Serena! You look spectacular! And I’m sure you feel incredible too! I too am an athlete who eats clean and light, and I too have struggled with postpartum and perimenopausal weight gain,” one woman shared.
“It’s her choice! What’s the problem?” another supporter asked, while a separate user thanked the athlete for “being a voice to many of us who have found a solution to a lifelong problem.”
The appearance follows criticism Serena faced last month for promoting GLP-1 weight-loss injections
Image credits: serenawilliams/Instagram
Serena, who retired from professional tennis in 2022, has pursued many business ventures, including a small stake in the NFL team Miami Dolphins.
She has also invested in the National Women’s Soccer League, the highest level of women’s soccer in the United States, and co-founded with her sister Venus the venture capital firm Serena Ventures, which invests in start-up companies that “level the playing field for women and people of color.”
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