After an aviral video sparked a controversy among fans, tennis pro Serena Williams responded to accusations of skin bleaching.
The 43-year-old clarified the situation in an InstagramLive video on Monday after appearing lighter in “stage makeup” for her daughter’s play, according to Knewz.com.
The athlete was seen navigating her makeup regimen during the live stream, pausing to swiftly dispel rumors, saying, “And no, for you haters out there, I do not bleach my skin.”
She continued: “There is a thing called sunlight and in that sunlight you get different colors.”
Williams clarified that she was wearing “stage makeup” when helping out at her daughter Olympia’s school play, where she assisted with the event for the six-year-old, in the latest footage that stoked the skin-whitening accusations.
She went on: “Everyone saying, ‘Oh, she bleaches her skin,’ is absurd. I’m a dark-black woman who adores her appearance and identity. And I’m just not into that.
“And if people do it that’s their thing, and they have every opportunity, and they should, I don’t judge.”
“But no, I actually don’t bleach my skin,” she repeated. Could we please simply sort that out?”
Later in the video, she described how the gold wallpaper in her bathroom behind her “gives her more of her true color” because it blends beautifully with the light.
Then she jokingly said, “The color that I’ve never bleached.”
Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, were pictured volunteering at their daughter’s school performance in the first scandal-provoking TikTok. Her skin looked lighter than usual in the video, which immediately generated remarks.
One commenter stated: “They claim not to use bleach, which is accurate given that they utilize chemical peels and other procedures that lighten skin! Thus, in a technical sense, it is not bleaching.
“Serena is gorgeous, but she has definitely lost weight over the years,” another person commented. Perhaps it’s the chemical peels.
A few merely remarked that Williams was “already beautiful” and that they had lost sight of her.
Others defended her by claiming that William “didn’t know how to do her makeup” or that her “playing outside for 12 hours a day” as a former tennis player may have contributed to her potential skin-lightening.
When she posted her most recent selfie in November, Williams faced similar backlash, with some even accusing her of having the “Michael Jacksoneffect”.
According to reports, the late pop artist used light-colored cosmetics and potentially skin-bleaching lotions to cover up his uneven skin spots after receiving a vitiligo diagnosis in 1986.
“The picture is beautiful, but it also makes me sad,” one commenter said. It’s clear that Hollywood has changed. It’s the Michael Jackson effect of having dark skin. “Sigh.”
Someone another commented: “Her skin keeps getting lighter and lighter in different pics.”
With 23 Grand Slam victories, including six US Open crowns, Williams is considered by many to be the best female tennis player in history.
After 27 years, she formally retired in September 2022, having begun her career in October 1995.
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