Tennis icon Serena Williams addressed and quickly dismissed accusations of skin bleaching during an Instagram Live video on Monday.
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The allegations emerged after the 23-time Grand Slam champion posted a video of herself attending a school event alongside her husband and their two children.
The footage, which featured Williams sporting sandy blonde curls, had some denizens of the internet insisting she looked dramatically different.
It seems the tennis legend took note, clapping back in a livestream while doing her makeup.
Serena Williams shuts down rumors, firmly stating she does NOT bleach her skin. pic.twitter.com/E2WtPA8MaF
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) December 3, 2024
“And then I put just that neutral color, that is actually my skin color, and no, for you haters out there, I do not bleach my skin,” Williams explains in the clip. “There is a thing called sunlight, and in that sunlight, you get different colors.”
Williams added that she was wearing “stage makeup” when she recorded the video that prompted the comments.
“Yes, I’m calling you out on this because it is ridiculous,” she continued. “Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, she bleached her skin.’ I’m a dark, Black woman, and I love who I am, and I love how I look.”
However, Williams took a beat to point out that she’s not sweating folks who do bleach their skin.
“But that’s what this world is about, and I stay in my lane — the non-judgy one, and I keep it,” she added. “But no, I actually don’t bleach my skin, so can we just kinda clear that up?”
Serena Williams Is Open About Past Cosmetic Procedures
Meanwhile, fans of Williams know she never shies away from the work she has done.
In June, the 43-year-old posted an Instagram video showcasing a radio-frequency treatment she received at a Paris spa to tighten her stomach. The footage showed her lying on a table as an electromagnetic device was applied to her abdomen.
Williams admitted she knew that, after having two children, her body would never be quite the same. Still, she was quick to point out that the ravages to her body were worth it.
“I can see progress with my skin going back to normal and my confidence coming back,” she said in the clip. “Listen my body will never be the same but neither will I cause I have 2 amazing lights in my life.”