http://www.suntimes.com/sports/couch/24036...-greg02.articleAt 5-9, 135 (?), Serena sending mixed message
February 2, 2007
BY GREG COUCH Sun-Times Columnist
Serena Williams made her statement when she won the Australian Open, as everything she does makes a statement. She is back, winning a Grand Slam event after hearing so much criticism about her practice habits and weight.
''Just in the locker room, staring at my body, I'm like, 'Am I not fit, really not fit?''' she said. '''Or is it just that I have all these extra assets?'
''I don't care if I didn't eat for two years, I still wouldn't be a size 2. We're living in a [Mary-] Kate Olsen world. I'm just not that way. I'm ... bootylicious, so to say.''
As the father of a young girl, I would like to be the first to applaud her for saying that. I'd like to, but I can't. Because while she said that about herself, she missed the greatest opportunity to make a statement for others.
It is all hollow, and sad for Williams, too, when she lists herself, officially, as 5-9, 135 pounds.
I mean, 135 pounds? That's not even close. Why, Serena? Why lie about your weight when so many little girls are watching? And what a perfect opportunity this was. It came the same week that supermodel Tyra Banks was on the cover of People magazine in a swimsuit, on ''Good Morning America'' and on her own show with the confidence to say that she has gained 30 pounds since her prime modeling days and now weighs 161.
''I see myself as being a mentor, even if just a distant one,'' Banks told People. ''What I tell the girls is that all the insecurities we have, we can't let those defeat us.''
Maybe they are defeating Serena Williams. Does she have that serious of self-doubts about her body?
How else can you interpret it when she says that she was looking at herself in the locker room and wondering about her fitness? She has been constantly ripped for her work habits and commitment.
I've criticized her for it, too. But that's not because of her appearance. It's about maximizing her tennis skills. She's so far superior to all other players that if she were fully fit, which she still isn't, then she would completely dominate the tour.
185 pounds of beauty, power, grace
Just guessing here, but Williams probably weighs 185 pounds. Are you shocked?
You shouldn't be. Williams' appearance is one of beauty, power and grace. She's intelligent, successful and also the winner of the Australian Open.
So why say that she weighs 135?
It's because, while she condemns the Mary-Kate Olsen world, she is also a part of it, burdened by it.
This isn't an endorsement of being unhealthy. You can't say that word applies to Williams or Banks. But for some reason, the number on the scale seems to be more than just a number to a lot of people, mostly girls and women. I can't know, of course, but it seems to be a mark of self-worth.
Not every woman is going to grow up to be 5-8 and 110 pounds. In fact, few are. But that is becoming the benchmark. It's in the magazines and on the runways in size 0 or size 2.
We've seen three models die recently, one at 88 pounds.
And if girls think that's the way to look, then this is a serious problem. That's why Banks is actually becoming a hero now. Although she is in a body-image business, she is simply not willing to fight to be unnatural anymore. And by the way, she looks pretty darn good at 161.
Meanwhile, the tabloids have shown unflattering photos of her and ridiculed her.
''Luckily, I'm strong enough and I have a good enough support system,'' she said on her show. ''I love my mama, and she has helped me to be a strong woman so I can overcome these kinds of attacks. But if I had a lower self-esteem, I would probably be starving myself right now. That's exactly what is happening to other women all over this country.''
She said for those who ''have something nasty to say about women who are built like me, women who have been picked on, women whose husbands put them down, women at work or girls at school -- I have one thing to say to you: Kiss my fat [deleted].''
Better choice of words
Wow. Maybe it's a little unfair to ask Williams to have Banks' courage. But if she's not comfortable telling her real weight, she could say something like this: ''My weight is none of your business. My weight is the weight that just dominated the Australian Open.''
Serena, just don't lie to those girls who are going to grow up with your same body shape and size. They don't need to hear that you weigh 135, that that's where they must be.
Sure, Williams could just not give the number. But it would be best if she did, the real number. She and Banks, two visible and prominent voices and bodies, sending the same message. What if Williams said something like this?
''I weigh 185 pounds. And at that weight, you can be a beautiful, smart, graceful, successful champion. And for anyone who has a problem with that, in the words of Tyra Banks, you can kiss my fat [deleted].''
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