Serena Williams praised for 'giving real examples of women' on unretouched Harper's Bazaar cover

Serena Williams appears unretouched in the August issue of Harper's Bazaar, and fans are praising her for the issue's cover shoot.

The US outlet curiously unveiled its latest cover during Williams' quarterfinal match at Wimbledon on Tuesday morning, with a post going live on Williams' own Instagram page as she played fellow American Alison Riske on Centre Court (she won in three sets).

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"I’m proud to use my voice and words to share an essay on the raw feelings I had during a match we may all remember," Serena wrote of her personal essay in which she reflects on the controversy from the 2018 US Open final. "The essay and unretouched photos are live on @harpersbazaarus."

See photos from Serena Williams' Harper Bazaar photo shoot:

While some fans questioned who had posted the photo for Serena during her match ("How did you just post this if you’re playing?!?" and "Who’s in charge of this account? The Queen is currently playing her second set" are two sample comments), others were quick to praise the all-time great for continuing to be so open and real with her fans.

"Brilliant. Brave. Bold. You are an inspiration. Can’t wait to read this," former Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Elaine Welteroth said.

"Unretouched photos," someone else wrote. "Giving REAL examples of women."

"Stunning!!! More un-retouched photography please!" another user commented on Harper Bazaar's post.

"Every magazine cover should stop retouching as a practice," someone else said.

In the photo shoot, Serena wears a series of eye-catching gold gowns by Stella McCartney, Ralph Lauren and Lanvin. Her hair flows in the wind in her natural curls as she wears diamond and gold jewelry and gold Louboutin heels.

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"I’ve been called every name in the book. I’ve been shamed because of my body shape. I’ve been paid unequally because of my sex. I’ve been penalized a game in the final of a Major because I expressed my opinion or grunted too loudly...And these are only the things that are seen by the public," she writes in the cover story, which is a personal essay written by Williams herself. "In short, it’s never been easy. But then I think of the next girl who is going to come along who looks like me, and I hope, ‘Maybe, just maybe, my voice will help her.’"

Read Serena Williams' full personal essay for Harper's Bazaar's August issue here.

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