Serena Williams is undeniably one of the most dominant tennis players to step on the court in the early 2000s. There is little that the 23-time Grand Slam champion has not achieved in her illustrious career, which includes winning 4 Olympic gold medals and spending 319 weeks as World No. 1.
When at her peak, Williams’ on-court prowess and athleticism were unmatched. Her strength and stamina gave her exceptional on-court coverage and power. However, the same athleticism came under harsh criticism with supposed beauty standards making her the target of racism and sexism. In the early 2000s, there were several inappropriate comments made about Williams’ weight and muscular physique.
Unfazed, the former World No. 1 embraced her physique and made iconic fashion statements, which included wearing a denim miniskirt at the 2004 US Open and a catsuit at the 2018 French Open.
After hanging up her racquet in 2002, Serena Williams began a journey of entrepreneurship that reflected the same spirit of a champion one saw on-court. She owns successful businesses like Parfait, Billie, Mayvenn, Olly, and Lola through her venture capital fund, Serena Ventures.
Her latest venture is a line of cosmetics, Wyn Beauty. During an exclusive interview with “Byrdie” in April this year, Williams talked about the idea of infusing her ‘unapologetic’ and authentic persona amid all the criticism and negative remarks she faced throughout her career and coming up with a new definition of beauty through her makeup brand.
“I never wanted to fit into a box. I don’t look like anyone else and never will. I was one of the first athletes [in tennis] that had a differently shaped body. I felt I’ve pioneered in so many different ways, so I wanted to include beauty in that.” Williams said.
Both on and off-court, Serena Williams’ makeup has been as talked about as her fashion choices including thickening her brows, manicures, and beaded hair.
# Serena Williams’ struggle with finding the right makeup
Tennis players and athletes in general often have little time to refresh after a match before they need to step out again for a post-match interaction with the media. On a similar note, Serena felt that her experience as a player gave her the impetus to design makeup for athletes who need to get ready for the cameras in a short amount of time.
“Those moments are the foundation of the brand. After playing on center court in front of millions of people, I’d have to do press. There was a point where I was talking to the press every single day. I had to figure out how I wanted to show up, but I only had a few minutes after a match to do my makeup,” she said.
She also spoke about her struggle to find the right shade for herself after trying different cosmetic brands. This led the 42-year-old to reflect on the lack of representation women of color had in the cosmetic industry and claim how brands made the women feel they had to fit into predetermined standards of beauty.
“Back then, brands [made us feel like] we had to fit their standard of beauty. When I was traveling 20 years ago, brands didn’t offer 40 shades. Many products weren’t made for Black skin. We had brands like Iman Cosmetics and Black Opal, but they weren’t always available where I was.” she shared.
“It all started with the skin tint. I would often mix my foundation and sun cream because I couldn’t find a skin tint I loved. I realized that if I’m having this problem, other people are as well,” she added.
Williams also spoke about how WYN Beauty is designed to cater to women of color.
“It’s about more than just products. I hope [we] make it easy for our community to feel and look their best—however they may define that,” she said.
# The brand reflects Serena Williams’ personality
Serena Williams owns a farm in Florida along with her husband Alexis Ohanian, where they grow fruits and vegetables. The couple promotes the idea of eating “clean” and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Extending the same idea to WYN Beauty, Williams also insisted that her makeup brand was vegan and cruelty-free.
“I wanted to focus on long-wearing, ‘clean’ formulas because that’s how I live my life. I have a farm and try to eat ‘clean,’ so I also apply that approach to what I put on my face.” Williams said.
The tennis legend also seems to have drawn inspiration from her love for the game with the brand’s color palette featuring tennis-ball-themed yellow and green packaging. The brand is endorsed by her sister and 7-time Grand Slam champion, Venus Williams.
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While Serena Williams has had more than a brush with the fashion world endorsing brands like Gucci and posing for Vogue, this is her first venture into the beauty and self-care industry and one in which she intends to make a mark in.
