Danish
tennis pro Caroline Wozniacki
created a firestorm recently with her racially charged “impression” of
her friend Serena Williams. During
an exhibition match, Wozniacki
donned pads around her chest and buttocks to accentuate her figure to
approximate the curvy Williams.
While
the audience appeared amused by Wozniacki’s
antics, many African-Americans took offense, arguing that the white tennis
player was making fun of stereotypically black female bodies.
One blogger wrote, “this isn’t ‘harmless fun’ as one article
described it. its racist. out and outright racism. its misogynistic. mocking
and making fun of the bodies of black women for a laugh? real funny, stupid
white girl. real real funny.” [sic]
Another blogger wrote,
“So a white woman can do something
like this, but Serena Williams can’t crip walk to celebrate a victory? Wozniacki stuffed her bra and underwear
so that she could appear like Serena.
It may have been done in “jest,” but I love how people can turn a black woman’s
body and sexuality into a caricature. However, we should not have the autonomy
to celebrate any successes of our own”.
Now Serena Williams is finally weighing on on the controversy.
“I know Caro and I would call her my friend”, she wrote in an email
to USA Today”.
“And I don’t think she (meant)
anything racist by it”.
Still, Williams acknowledged that it
might be time for Wozniacki to retire the homage to her physique.
“I must add”, she wrote. “If people
feel this way, she should take reason and do something different next time”.
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