Like other goddesses – Athena, Artemis, Oprah – Serena only needs one name. She opens her home, and her heart, to us, as she talks about body, beauty and baby.
When I take off my shoes in Serena Williams’ entryway, I say a silent prayer: “God, please don’t let her notice I’m wearing Pac-Man socks.” In addition to being the world’s greatest athlete (no argument), she’s a known fashionista. Serena holds an astonishing 23 Grand Slam singles titles, a slew of doubles trophies and four Olympic gold medals. In her spare time she had a baby, got married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and started a clothing company. And here I stand in her lovely home wearing novelty video game socks.
Luckily for me, Serena is also dressed casually. I recognise her sweats, the grey weekend lounge pair from her clothing line, Serena. More importantly, I see the bundle of unmitigated joy on her hip – her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr (one). Little girls who share a full name with their fathers are uncommon, but Serena isn’t the kind of person to follow a norm just because it exists.
From the time I step into the house until we prepare to leave for a walk around the neighbourhood, Serena never stops moving. For someone with a one-year-old, she has quite a bit of white furniture, and as she spins from room to room, I notice that every surface holds two or three toys.
Within minutes, she goes from offering me something to drink to changing a diaper to preparing for a walk (yes, anything to put my shoes back on), stopping to soothe and correct her daughter in French, and finally finding Olympia’s wagon (made to look like a horse-drawn carriage) so she can be pulled along as we stroll. Serena moves her body confidently in every direction, gracefully, with little hesitation. She makes a decision, and she makes the necessary moves. It doesn’t seem to matter whether she enjoys the task or not. She knows she can do it. She decides; she moves; she gets it done. She sets the example and the standard. Who else would she have to look to?
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