David Gray/Reuters
Serena Williams unseeded came to Australia to plant her feet in on the tennis court for cultivating an eighth Grand Slam win. Williams is clearly in a position after reaching the finals by plowing down the young Nicole Vaidisova . The win places her against the top-seeded Maria Sharapova.
Williams ranked 81th at the beginning of the tournament has battled to reached this chance to compete against
Sharapova. The media has focused on Williams inability to win because of her
physical appearance. How fitting for the unseeded Williams to stand with the top-seeded Sharapova in the final. In spite of the press predictions of Williams improbabilities in reaching the finals,
Williams has swapped away at their predictions by qualifying for the finals during a time when she is not at her physical best. But it is obvious that Williams is mentally in the heads of her younger physical fit contenders.
The fact that the media is more focus on Williams' physical conditioning rather than on what she is actually able to do in spite of her physical appearance is not surprising.
The media focus on Williams' appearance is an attempt at negating her self worth as the seven time grand slam winner. This attack on Williams is what some young girls experience almost every day based on some perceived flaw in their appearances. Williams being an athlete and competing in top competition highlights the intolerance for young women who are not viewed as media beauties. The media has decided that Williams appearance deems her as unworthy to represent the ideal of a female athlete or the image of America's desirable female.
The media commentators speaks about the flowing white mini peek a boo skirts, the silky, long plaited hair, and the slim agile leggy form of the graceful female tennis players. This exclude Williams who represents the commitment, the hard work, the sheer determination to participate in something that you love. Attributes in which almost all young girls can aspire toward instead of fitting into the image of a "media glam athlete".
It is not surprising that both Williams sister became designers. Designing themselves out of the white uniforms of traditional tennis into the self-defining tennis gear expressing their style of play. Designing outfits that demand attentions from the media while at the same time demand attention to their accomplishment on tennis courts were media just wish they would go away. The Williams's sister broke the media mold.
Serena is still sending a message of confidence to young girls about their self-worth based on how they define themselves instead of allowing the media to create unattainable images for them to emulate. A media that encourages young girls to seek a mature looks while young and innocent. A mixed messages to young girls to pretend to be an adult because when you become an adult you will be too old and unfit to be deemed a beauty.
While the media rips away at a seven time grand slam winner as physical unfit and too old to partake in the game of tennis, she sends a message to the media that young girls do not have to settle for ending up in movie as a sexually exploited character to command attention.
David Gray/Reuters
