Serena Williams denied rumors that she bleached her skin while calling out the “haters” who claimed she did.
During an Instagram Live on Monday, Dec. 2, the 23-time Grand Slam champion, 43, addressed claims that she purposely altered her complexion after she recently shared a video of herself at a school event with her husband Alexis Ohanian and their two daughters Olympia, 7, and Adira, 15 months.
While doing a makeup tutorial for her Wyn Beauty (pronounced “win”) brand, the former athlete saw the perfect opportunity to weigh in on the topic.
“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 said as she applied her glam.
“There is a thing called sunlight, and in that sunlight, you get different colors,” she continued.
The tennis star explained that she was volunteering at her daughter’s play in the now-viral video from late November, and was wearing “stage makeup” when she recorded the clip.
“Yes, I’m calling you out on this because it is ridiculous,” Williams said, before stating that she is proud of who she is.
“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,” the pro athlete continued, adding that that type of alteration is “just not my thing.”
Williams has no issues with others who may lighten their skin, but she reiterated that it’s not a procedure she’s interested in doing.
“And if people do it, that’s their thing, and they have every opportunity and they should. I don’t judge, but you guys do,” she said.
“But that’s what this world is about, and I stay in my lane — the non-judgy one, and I keep it. But no, I actually don’t bleach my skin, so can we just kinda clear that up?” she concluded.
Williams has been honest about the work she’s had done in the past.
In June, the mother of two shared an Instagram video of herself getting a radio frequency treatment to tighten her stomach at a spa in Paris.
“Being ok to take time for myself is something I have always struggled with,” she captioned the post. “I finally started started being ok to take an hour (during nap time ) away from my kids and work to do something for myself.”
The video showed her lying on a table, with the electromagnetic device being used on her abdomen.
“I have been self conscious of my tummy,” Williams admitted, saying she had the work done during a girls’ trip.
“I can see progress with my skin going back to normal and my confidence coming back. Listen my body will never be the same but neither will I cause I have 2 amazing lights in my life,” she concluded, tagging her daughters in the post.
