Serena Williams Says Her Thighs Are Too Big

By Kelly Turner on September 8th, 2009

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Tennis star Serena Williams recently chatted with People Magazine about her new book, On the Line, and revealed some body image issues most of us would find surprising.

There were a lot of comments about your size (after the 2003 shooting death of her sister Yetunde Price.) Was that strange?
Yes. For some reason, everyone is obsessed with weight. Are you bigger? Are you smaller? And everyone cares about that! It’s insane. Some days, I’ll be bigger. Other days, I’ll be smaller. It’s not a big deal.

You mention that in your memoir. But just a few sentences later, you say that you’re insecure about your body.
I think every female does that. We think we look good one day, and then the next day – or the next minute – we’re insecure about something. Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and am like, ‘I want to lose my inner thigh. I’ve got to do an hour of cardio today,’ or whatever. I try not to do it, but the insecurity comes back sometimes. I do want to look good still; I do want to be healthy.

So what are your troublesome body parts?
My thighs. I think they’re too big. But also my arms. I think they’re too muscular. They’re too thick.

Your arms? I thought you’d consider those your best part.
I’m sensitive about them. I know that toned arms are in now. Look at Michelle Obama. She has great arms, and I think it’s wonderful that she shows them off like that! I love her for that. I’m like, ‘keep wearing strapless dresses!’ But I don’t like mine.

What’s your workout routine?
When I’m training, I just play a lot of tennis. But I’ll go to the gym, then I’ll run a lot of sprints. I spend a lot of time being physical, getting exercise. Sometimes, it’s an official workout. Other times, though, it’s just being active.

And what’s your diet like?
I don’t diet. I hate that word. Diets mean that you rob yourself of stuff that you like, and eventually you’re going to cave in and eat things that aren’t on your diet. You can’t deprive yourself forever. I eat what I like, but I try to eat it in proportion. There are things that aren’t healthy for me, so I try to eat less of them.

This just goes to show that even stellar athletes are not immune to body hang ups.  You would think when your entire career relies on your physical ability and performance, that as long as it is able to perform at its best, you are pleased with it.  It’s tough to remember that Serena is a woman first, and an athlete second, and for the record, I would KILL for her arms.