Serena Williams' GQ Women's Coverage of the Year Raises Negative Reactions

GQ Serena Williams was named Woman of the Year 2018 on Monday, but found herself in hot water for a controversial design choice featured on the cover of the tennis superstar.

The magazine publishes a list of men of the year each year for its December issue and began including women among its laureates in 2003. This year, the magazine has published four covers – one with Williams and three others with men of the year, Michael B. Jordan. Henry Golding and Jonah Hill.

On the cover of Williams, she is wearing a long-sleeved black turtleneck. In the typeface, the word "Men" in "Men of the Year" is crossed out. The word "Woman" is written instead, with handwriting. It is enclosed in quotation marks.

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Critics have accused the magazine of making fun of Williams, with some pointing out that GQPrevious covers of Woman of the Year did not carry the word in quotation marks.

Although GQ Mick Rouse – a researcher for the magazine – said on Twitter that the cover was hand-written by Virgil Abloh of Off-White. The artist, who also designed American clothing Williams, often opens words he writes in quotation marks.

Despite Rouse's explanation, some people were still frustrated by this detail, according to Williams, who has already said he was called a man because of his muscular physique.

Last year, in an open letter on Reddit, she wrote: "I was called man because I looked strong in appearance. It is said that I am not part of the female sport, but of the man, because I look stronger than me. many other women do it. (No, I work hard and I was born with this baddass body and I'm proud of it.)

On Twitter on Twitter, a user wrote, "Given the insults she has suffered over the years, you might think that putting the woman in quotation marks, @virgilabloh or" thing ", will cause controversy. Either way, there is no reason to keep this woman! @serenawilliams is a SUPER woman anyway! ❤? "

"This context really helps," said another. [But] it is especially sad for an athlete who has been criticized for not being a woman / not a real woman in all its racist and problematic forms. "

Tweeted another: "I can not believe anyone at GQ Perhaps I was thinking of misogynistic and violent transgender slurs that Serena (and Venus) had been treating for almost 20 years, so as not to put the woman in quotation marks. Newsrooms are a disaster across the country. … I am offended for her. "

Williams has not talked about the controversy yet.

Earlier this month, Williams said Adweek she turns the often negative focus on her life and actions into something positive – for her, her fans and her businesses.

"I sometimes feel like for whatever reason, everything I do is amplified and so I use it for my brand," she told the publication for her November 5 cover story in which she was named their Visionary Brand 2018. "I use it to promote affirmative messages, such as" you are strong, brave, proud, great "and all that I feel, I am able not only to express while playing tennis, but can also be expressed in my thoughts. fashion line and other products. "

In addition to being a professional athlete, Williams has launched his own fashion line called "Serena" and has collaborated with some of the industry's leading brands, from Nike to Puma to HSN. She is also a writer, activist and mother of a one-year-old child, Alexis Olympia, with her husband and co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian.