Serena Williams brushes off being named on ‘worst-dressed’ lists

Serena Williams has been reflecting on previously being named on People magazine’s “worst-dressed” lists.

For the publication’s 50th anniversary, the tennis champion opened up about previous stories that were written about her from her many Grand Slam wins and the birth of her two daughters, six-year-old Olympia and eight-month-old Adira. Part of her looking back journey there was one feature the magazine wrote about her back in 2003 where Williams said at the time, “I’ve been on worst-dressed lists and I don’t care.”

Rereading that quote in 2024, Williams said that she still doesn’t care about being on the list.

“Listen, I think being on worst-dressed lists is important,” she told the outlet. “I’ve loved every style that I’ve made and, you know, you don’t love them looking back all the time, but I appreciate them.”

The former athlete added, “I think fashion is a way to express yourself and express your personality and express like who you are and what you are and sometimes it’s the only way the world can see you is through your style. And so for me, whether it’s the best list or the worst-dressed list, it’s all kind of cool.”

“Hey, at least I made a list.”

Williams also mentioned that fashion from the 2000s is “making a huge comeback”.

“Like, do I look through my closet?” she thought to see if she had any old clothes that were fashionable now. “From back then, I don’t think I have anything. Well, not much. I do keep things, but, you know, my body might not fit the same things that it fit in... back then,” she said.

Although Williams may have had people label her outfits over the years as good and bad, she explained that she doesn’t have any regrets.

“I’ve had a lot of outfits. A lot of on-court outfits, a lot of off-court outfits. I’ve had some amazing, amazing red carpet looks,” she said. “I’ve had lots of different looks, but you know what, you can’t take any of it back. I’m leaning into all of them.”

Aside from fashion, fans have also praised Williams for generously donating her “super soldier” breast milk.

In an Instagram video posted on 20 December, the 42-year-old mother shared footage of a freezer full of milk packets from a recent trip to New York. The tennis pro explained how many families needed breast milk, which she also admitted to using for sunburn treatment, and a doctor had cleared her to donate some to those in need.

“On a recent trip to NY I had left over breast milk. After going through a screening I was able to donate it instead of taking the milk home,” Willams captioned her post. “I know so many amazing women that adopt or are unable to make milk. It felt amazing. BTW someone out there is getting some super soldier milk.”

Though the athlete proudly revealed her contribution, the mothers receiving the breast milk wouldn’t be made aware that it was hers. “It’ll be anonymous, but super excited to just help in some way,” she added in the video.

Williams’ followers flocked to the comments section to honour her kind gesture. A few mothers who had dealt with breast milk issues spoke up, further commending Williams for her donation. One woman wrote: “Thank you. For us mamas that have to deliver early by C-section, milk can take a while to come in. Donor milk was such a blessing for us.”