Why (Black) Women Should Care About Serena Williams’ Cat Suit

When Serena Williams strolled into the U.S. Open Monday in a fabulously form fitting catsuit, what should have been commended by the US Open officials quickly devolved into a “catsuit controversy.” Instead of complimenting Ms. Williams’s choice of clothing as a symbol of feminist empowerment, the President of the French Tennis Federation accused her of “disrespecting” the sport of tennis. And as if accusing a living legend who has devoted her entire life to and for the sport, and who is also the undisputed embodiment of tennis worldwide, of disrespecting that same sport were not enough, U.S. Open officials initiated actions to ban catsuits like the one that Williams wore.
And while, Ms. Williams graciously took the whole situation in stride and as such recently stopped answering questions regarding the catsuit; others, myself included, saw the incident for what it truly was. The catsuit, which was designed by Nike, situation isn’t just about spandex and polyester, it is about both the rigid social controls associated with black womanhood as well as the blatant policing of black women and their bodies. The fact that catsuits have been worn by (white) female tennis players for at least three decades, such as the one worn by Ann White at Wimbledon in 1985, is apparently irrelevant to the President of the French Tennis Federation and to the U.S. Open officials.
Moreover, it seems as if the color, a lustrous black with a red strip around the waist which has been said to be inspired by the film Black Panther, violated dress code policy which outright favors the color white. In addition to making Ms. Williams feel like a “warrior princess” and a “superhero,” the catsuit also served an important medical purpose in that it provided much needed support/compression (Ms. Williams suffered from left threatening blood clots after the birth of her daughter). Still, these beneficial aspects of the catsuit were devalued. And I would go so far as to say it is because the catsuit conveyed a potent and very real sense of power and confidence, and dare I say black pride, all of which tends to make white people unconformable, that the suite, and by extension Ms. Williams herself, became a target.
That said, there has been a lot of public support for the catsuit and Ms. Williams’ right to wear one and rightfully so. I hope that Ms. Williams, and other successful and strong black women, continues to wear what they want when they want, especially if by simply doing so it is an act of empowerment for all women.
#BlackGirlMagic #LivingWhileBlack #BlackLivesMatter #WhitePrivilege
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Latagia Copeland-Tyronce, MSW, CADAS, is a longtime parental rights and social justice advocate, child welfare reform activist, writer/blogger, and journalist whose work has been featured in BlackMattersUs and Rise Magazine. She is the founder, president, and executive director of the National African American Families First and Preservation Association (NAFPA) a groundbreaking 501c4 nonprofit origination, the first of its kind, devoted exclusively to the protection and preservation of the African American (Black) Family though policy and legislative advocacy. Follow Latagia on Instagram, Twitter, Quora, and Facebook.
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