Tennis player Caroline Wozniacki has been accused of doing a “racist” impersonation of Serena Williams after stuffing her bra and shorts.
At a recent exhibition against Maria Sharapova in Brazil, Caroline Wozniacki stuffed courtside towels down her kit to replicate the body of the curvaceous Grand Slam champion.
But now the 22-year-old Dane, whose boyfriend golfer Rory McIlroy was in the crowd, has now been accused of racism by some observers.
On Tumblr, one blogger wrote: “This isn’t <<harmless fun>> as one article described it. its racist. out and outright racism. mocking and making fun of the bodies of black women for a laugh? real funny, stupid white girl. real real funny.”
Another blogger pointed out: “It may have been done in <<jest>>, but I love how people can turn a black woman’s body and sexuality into a caricature. However, we should not have the autonomy to celebrate any successes of our own.”
While on feministing.com, an article read: “Given the history and current-day context of racialized standards of beauty, and the hypersexualization of people of color, when a white woman makes fun of a black women’s body, especially in a way that hypersexualizes her and draws on the stereotype of black women’s big butts, it’s racist.”
Serena Williams is well known for referring to her curvaceous figure – the day before the tennis star, also in Brazil to promote the 2016 Games, had tweeted: “Do they make Brazilian bikinis for, um, well, me?”
In July she tweeted a photo of her bottom, with the accompanying words: “Hummm I think this onzie makes me butt look TOO big. Ugh. #BigButtproblems.”
Caroline Wozniacki mentioned during a press conference after the game that she was performing an impression of her friend and fellow tennis player Serena Williams.
She said: “I really love the crowd here, they’re open and they have a lot of fun.”
This was not the first time Caroline Wozniacki imitated the American icon – she also copied her last year as well.
Tennis impersonations are usually the hallmark of Novak Djokovic – the Serb has imitated off rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, as well as women’s stars Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
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