Serena Williams Encourages "Loving Yourself" After Posting Stunning Postpartum Body Pic
The tennis superstar stunned in a white bikini while holding her five-month-old daughter.
Tennis superstar and mom Serena Williams wants all moms to love their postpartum body.
Williams — 42-year-old mom to two daughters, Olympia (6) and Adira (5 months) — shared a picture of herself on Instagram, wearing a bikini and holding Adira while on a boat. In the photo, she’s wearing a white two-piece swimsuit and showing off her athletic and curvy postpartum body.
In the photo’s caption, Williams paid tribute to her body for nourishing her daughter, acknowledging that her new look was all "worth it."
“Loving yourself is essential. I find that I have to remind myself of that self-love through all different stages in my life. Right now I love that my body is not picture perfect," she began.
"I love that I smell like milk - that milk sustains @adiraohanian I love getting to know a new version of my body. It is a change, but it’s a change that has been well worth it."
"So start this week, knowing that you are loved, and that starts with you. Ok, now I’m about to go to the gym 🤪 Serena," the professional athlete concluded her caption.
Williams shares her two daughters with husband Alexis Ohanian, 40.
Fans appreciated the mother of two's positive message, while also complimenting Williams on how great she looks despite any feelings she may have.
"My first thought before I saw the caption was, 'WOW SHE LOOKS INCREDIBLE.' Still picture perfect no matter what!" one user wrote.
"Your body is perfect! Thank you for teaching us to love ourselves," wrote another, as a third proclaimed, "Motherhood looks good on you Serena."
Williams' husband, Alexis Ohanian, posted a simple heart-eyes emoji in support of his wife.
In a 2019 interview with Allure, Williams opened up about how pregnancy changed her body after she gave birth to her first daughter.
“After I came out (of the hospital), I had a stomach, but I thought, This is kind of cool,” she told the publication at the time. "I have a stomach because the baby was there.”
In August 2022, Williams stepped back from the game of tennis to focus on having another baby. Though a heartbreaking decision for her, she explained in a self-penned letter in Vogue the reasoning behind her decision to “evolve” away from tennis and toward other goals.
“Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family,” the 23-time Grand Slam champion wrote. “I don’t think it’s fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family. Maybe I’d be more of a Tom Brady if I had that opportunity.”
