Serena Williams is taking fans by surprise with her latest “celfie.”
The tennis legend was feeling herself on Aug. 10 at the Fouquet’s New York hotel, and shared photos from her hotel mirror moment on Instagram. In the first and third flick, Williams strikes two different poses in a hotel room, staring unapologetically at her reflection.
For the second picture of her carousel, she spotlighted the details of the pink French-inspired toile wallpaper. While Williams exuded confidence in her photos, fans weren’t shy about letting her know that something seemed off with her appearance.
She wore a monochromatic grey outfit which featured a maxi skirt and a sleeveless crop top. The look accentuated her cut figure by showing her abs and muscular arms. Giving the fit a pop of color, she had on red-orange heels and wore her signature blonde ombre hair down.
‘Where the Thighs Go?’: Serena Williams’ Gym Pics Go Viral as Fans Zoom In on Her Unrecognizable Appearance
In one photo, she glared at the mirror holding her phone in one hand and placing the other on her hip. In the third picture, she used the hand that was on her hip and leaned it against the corner of a door entrance.
She wrote, “But wait, let me take Celfie” in the caption which could be a reference to The Chainsmokers 2014 song “#SELFIE.”
View this post on Instagram
The post left fans concerned for Williams as many left comments on their reactions.
One person said, “I love you girl…but seeing this new image of you truly makes me feel SAD. You were the epitome of Black Girl Magic and Beauty before this current journey that you’ve been on. I pray you find and love your true center and self.”
Another person wrote, “I like the old you better. It seems that you are bleaching your skin. Bad example for your daughter and young black girls. You must be proud of yourself. You are an accomplished black woman. Your husband married a dark skin woman.”
Someone else expressing similar sentiments commented, “Yeah I don’t like this new Serena! Bring back the thick black woman.”
Williams recent weight loss appears to be intentional as the 23-time Grand Slam winner has been hitting the gym frequently after having her second daughter Adira River Ohanian in August 2023.
Though she is slimming down, fans were worried that Williams was losing her signature figure which included her plump derrière. In her Instagram photos that are just a few weeks old, her thighs look smaller than they did in her days of dominating the court and fans were vocal about the difference in her shape.
Last year, there was speculation that she’s either been bleaching her skin or wearing makeup that is shades lighter than her actual skin tone. She addressed the rumor head on while doing a make up tutorial using her brand Wyn Beauty.
“And no, for you haters out there, I do not bleach my skin,” she said before placing the blame at the sun. “There is a thing called sunlight, and in that sunlight, you get different colors.”
She called the skin bleaching rumors “ridiculous” and confirmed that she has no shame about her skin tone and who she is.
“I am a dark Black woman and I love who I am and I love how I look and that’s just not my thing. And if people do it, that’s their thing, and they have every opportunity and they should, I don’t judge.”
‘I Love You, Girl, But This Makes Me Sad’: Serena Williams’ New Look Has Fans Worried She’s Moving Too Far Away from ‘Black Girl Magic’