Serena Williams gives birth to baby girl
 

http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/n...letter-w504539 (link to the full letter also at the end of the article)
In an open letter to her mother she says:
Goes on to express her hurt by her naysayers and critics and not feeling enough support but also to say:
:heart:

I am not a fan of her and never will be!

How can you not be a fan of hers. What an accomplished woman.. what an inspiration! What a good message she puts out. Imagine all the adversary she had to fight against and still does.. and look at her.. she's a goddess!! She is a roll model to young girls.. especially young black girls!!!

There is a great article on Serena in Vanity Fair a few months back. I enjoyed reading it.

Congratulations Serena! What a little cutie! Thanks for sharing:)

Serena is one of the best athletes in history. I think she's amazing and can't wait to see her back on the court.

Her baby is a beauty.

Hello,

I started watching the Williams sisters when they first started. What I have admired about the two of them is how they started tennis. Their father (non-tennis player) taught them and got them to the professional level. Their beginnings gave an opening to the possibility of getting to that level of tennis without special camps, tennis pro coaches, etc. Their skill and level of play have been instrumental in making women’s tennis a much watch event. I am also looking forward to the movie about Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs back in the 70s aka "the battle of the sexes".

So, congratulations to the new mom and baby, plus grandma has another baby to hold:sun:.

That was so lovely that she honored her mom. When I think of her, the word 'Power' comes to mind.

Saw a picture of her and the baby; the baby is beautiful.

And - Serena already can already wear her pre-pregnancy clothes - including her Daisy Dukes!! All those years on the court paid off.

I have never been a fan either tho I congratulate her on her new daughter and wish them all the best.

Thanks for posting!

I'll continue quoting what she wrote:

Even before I read this context, I was wondering what kind of world her daughter will find, maybe even before she herself turns 15.

Even if Serena doesn't tell her daughter that she should be ashamed of her body (and that she should constrain her exercise life so that she doesn't turn :eek: :eek: :eek: TOO BIG!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: or whatnot), the world is still acutely interested in telling people (especially girls and women) what's "wrong" with their bodies and what products they should buy to "fix" them.

And I'll requote another part for this reason.

Some years ago, I noticed that exercise instructors generally seem to teach, at least in effect if not explicitly, that the world would be a better place if all women looked as much alike as humanly possible.

I prefer to support instructors with a different story. :sun:

And I wish them a happy, healthy life, especially in a world that accepts them for who they are.

Ok, so please don't be offended by my opinion, has nothing to do with your response.

I don't like her behavior when she losses a match, the eye rolling and snarky attitude towards people when they want to interview her, her diva, snobby mood is off putting and what really gets me is she won't sign any of the children's tennis balls afterwards, she stammers off to the locker room.For someone to have such a successful career and all that money, I would expect her to behave more graciously. I have very little respect for her. There are so many amazing, humble women on the tour right now! I'm going to focus on them and be supportive.

And if I have to see that phony, musical jewelry box twirling ballerina spin on the court, I think I'll gouge my eye out.

I don't like tennis for a number of reasons that I won't get into because it's not relevant to this discussion, but I agree with you on S. Williams for the reasons you mention.

So happy that the world is changing so that more than 1 female body type or size is considered acceptable. I can still remember Tracy Anderson saying that she knows that ALL women want to be teeny tiny and that's what her workouts would do. I feel that there has been a double standard (men can be large - and not just with large muscles but with some body fat - and still be considered good athletes, whereas women were only considered fit or athletic if their muscles were toned-but-smallish, and they had very little body fat.) Loving the fierceness of women in the public eye who challenge that assumption.

I wasn't a fan of her attitude when she acted out. But I also notice that Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe had much worse behavior as part of their personal brands and somehow they got a pass...even when they paid penalties for the extremeness of their behavior.

"Oh, yeah, they are behaving badly..oh but their the best so I guess that's what it takes for them to succeed." I remember hearing that a lot from tennis fans growing up, and that along with other things turned me off from enjoying tennis years before Serena and Venus came on the scene.

With John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, I believe there is more to them than when they are at their worst. (Although I saw John McEnroe on the Stephen Colbert Show and I think the jury is still out on him.)

I think we have already seen there is more to Serena Williams than when she didn't act her best. She most certainly isn't a phony...I don't think she is ever afraid to be herself. I know that I am strengthen and inspired to see her have become such a champion, and now a mother, even after the adversity she faced growing up and challenges she faced after becoming a success (both internal with her health as well as with the public). It inspires me to overcome the adversities in my life to become the best I can be and live my truth in every moment.

Also, I think you may be the only person in the world to ever have called her a ballerina.

Good point about the double standard, you are right on. I read an interview where she discussed the aftermath of her kerfuffle with the line judge and her mom really gave her the business. She admitted being ashamed about it.

I don't mind her ego, she likely needs a measure of it to play with that much fierceness.

I was referring to the motion and/or act that she displays after winning a match!

beyond.omega;2734915] It inspires me to overcome the adversities in my life to become the best I can be and live my truth in every moment.
QUOTE]

And that is a wonderful thing to write! I am sure you will inspire many.

Thanks to OP for sharing the article. I am glad Serena honored her mother publicly. It is well expressed and written. Serena has power and she is a portrait/image of what the mainstream does not like to see and promote!:eek::eek: For that narrow minded crowd, she will never win despite the fact that she has broken many record. She is fiercely won her impressing record to the hatred of some! So please spare us all the double standard demeanor!

I am glad she has just said it as it is to her naysayers.

Ballerina reference sounded sarcastically snarky!

ETA: with regards to Tennis, here below is an article about Billy Jean role
https://www.t-nation.com/training/em...gn=article6384

[QUOTE=nckfitheart;2735625Serena has power and she is a portrait/image of what the mainstream does not like to see and promote!

I have no problem with her image or how she looks! Again, my issue is with her attitude and behavior when a match does not go her way.

Ballerina.....I'm describing a motion that the sister's make after they win a match. If my feelings about this motion(Ballerina) bothered you, well....sorry you are offended.

[QUOTE=nckfitheart;2735625]For that narrow minded crowd!/QUOTE]

Well.... what about this! Whom are we referring to??

Beanpeanut, I could be wrong, but I think nckfitheart was talking about people in general, not necessarily you, when she talked about the people who didn't like Serena. Although she was directly referencing you with the ballerina comment :p

A person's demeanor at their worst can color how you feel about them in general, no matter how much adversity they have faced, illnesses they've overcome, or skill they have displayed in tough situations. For instance, although Mariah Carey and Beyonce are amazing singers and have done a lot for their communities, I can't feel all joyful inside because of how I've seen them at their worst (not in person, obviously). They both seem pretty hard to work with, for different reasons.

Serena's letter to her mother was distributed shortly after publication Maria Sharapova's fixated and snarky book, which made numerous bitter references to Serena and her body. I personally found Serena's letter a classy high road response to Sharapova's low road sniping.

[QUOTE=beanpeanut;2735844][QUOTE=nckfitheart;2735625

Ballerina.....I'm describing a motion that the sister's make after they win a match. If my feelings about this motion(Ballerina) bothered you, well....sorry you are offended.[/QUOTE]

I am not offended neither am I bothered by you mentioning the ballerina motion. I am just pointing out the double standard demeanor, in general, towards Serena.

[QUOTE=beanpeanut;2735847]I am referring to hollyweird and mainstream media promoting skinny women instead of empowering women to look more healthy at their best ability.

yes Bubbles 76 you are right! I suppose Serena is free to do the ballerina move to graciously thank her supporters.:):)

I agree! Drug suspension for Sharapova was already bad enough. Low enough to come up with these quotes in her book!:cool::confused:

This had nothing to do with my comments on Serena!

[QUOTE=nckfitheart;2736265][QUOTE I am just pointing out the double standard demeanor, in general, towards Serena.


What is this double stander biz that keeps coming up?

I am also not a fan of the Williams' sisters because of everything beanpeanut said. Look, you make a TON of money playing a game. Be gracious, be kind, be thankful. That's all.

I'm actually not a fan of tennis at all. I worked for the USTA in 1997 and all I will say is they are a horrible organization. I could have blown the whistle on some really nasty things that were actually stupidly put into a memo that I found but I chose to quit instead.

Diane

l believe this thread was posted to inform anyone (regardless of being a fan or not!) about a tennis player giving birth.

Now, as a known quote say: "if you have nothing nice to say, it is better to not state anything! Political correctness, sarcasm or snarkiness is not synonymous to being kind!

The term 'Double standards' can easily be found on google.
'a rule or principle which is unfairly applied in different ways to different people or groups'.

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you for clarifying what a "Double Standard" means. I didn't learn that when I obtained my Ph.D.

And because some people aren't fans, they're saying so.

Anyone who starts a thread can't control its direction. There have been countless threads here on VF about specific instructors that were begun by the instructor's fan, only to have things get hissy because people who aren't fans chime in.

Serena's a public figure, as are video instructors. You might not like it that people who aren't fans of Serena have posted on this thread, but they are free to state their opinion. Not every thread has to be a love fest.

You're right! Not every thread need/has to be a love fest. I personally tend to stick to the purpose of this forum. When it comes to instructor I try, to the best of my mood, to be as constructive as possible. Instructor look is not what makes me purchase his/her dvds. Competency, professionalism,skills etc....is what is important. You're free to disagree! you are also free to add anything irrelevant!

Some of the posters on this thread do not think much of Serena Williams' professionalism, especially her treatment of young fans.

Re the double standard--maybe some people give male tennis players a bye for lousy on-court behavior. I don't. I watched Connors, McEnroe, and Nastase during the 1970s when they were in their prime. They acted like immature boors.

The purpose of this forum is to discuss workout videos. I like reading people's opinions, positive and negative, of video instructors. In fact, the negative opinions often help me decide whether I would like an instructor's videos or not. I'm very glad that commentary about instructors' physiques and overall appearance are banned.

I had intended to share some positive news in the athletics world and thought it on target due to this athlete having been body shamed for being too mannish even though she is a success. I do truly enjoy hearing diverse view points, and many people on this thread were able to express their opposing or complex views in a respectful way.

But many (but not all) of those view points expressed by one person on this thread are just antagonistic, designed to bait anger and resistance, and at times complete distortions, and sadly it worked.

Can we just shut this thread down?

I think this thread is good example of the answer to the question from several weeks ago about why people hide in their check ins.