Serena Williams’ GQ ‘Woman of the Year’ Cover Sparks Controversy
GQ‘s 23rd-annual Men of the Year issue features Michael B. Jordan, Jonah Hill, Henry Golding, along with the tennis star.
Serena Williams can’t even land a magazine cover without it sparking a debate about race and gender.
2. Who is Virgil Abloh ?
The cover was handwritten by designer Virgil Abloh, who often uses quotation marks in his designs. Abloh is a DJ and fashion designer who currently acts as the creative director for men’s wear a Louis Vuitton.
Abloh and Williams previously teamed up for her US Open Outfit, which featured “Serena” and “Logo” in quotation marks on the clothing.
In spite of the questionable use of artistry, the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s new title shows that she is a true tennis icon.
3. Everything Serena does is different, even her love story
The world knows Serena as a great tennis player and she has undoubtedly proved this. With 23 Grand Slam (single) titles she is now a sports superstar. She has been the highest paid athlete in female in for the second time in consequently in 2017.
shutterstockHer husband is no less popular in the industry. Alexis Ohanian is an internet entrepreneur and the co-founder of Reddit and Initialized Capital. He has been a longtime activist for Net Neutrality and later in 2012, Forbes dubbed him the “Mayor of the Internet”.
4. A ‘meet-cute’ by chance
Not every love story starts at first sight… It was by chance when they met at the Cavalieri hotel in Rome. Williams was enjoying breakfast with her friend’s group while lounging near the poolside. Ohanian came to the same place but he didn’t notice the other empty tables and unknowingly decided to lay down right beside the tennis star.
Instagram5. Their first meeting
Williams talked to Vanity Fair about their first meeting: “This big guy comes and he just plops down at the table next to us, and I’m like, ‘Huh! All these tables and he’s sitting here?” Then someone in her group tried getting Ohanian away from them and said there was a rat by his table. “And he’s like, ‘Is there really a rat here?”
serenawilliams/InstagramHe added, “I’m from Brooklyn. I see rats all the time.” “Oh, you’re not afraid of rats?” Williams asked. To which he simply replied, “No.”
That was the moment when Williams got fascinated by his wittiness, and then she took interest in continuing the chit chat. She invited Ohanian to join her group and what happened next is the history as they say. Aww… how cute! I guess, everyone would have the same expression after reading their story.
6. Those fifteen months of secret dating
So romance was in the air but the couple kept it private and avoided the shutterbugs. They dated each other for almost 15 months, on the sly. They finally come up with the announcement of their engagement and made it public in December 2016.
serenawilliams/InstagramOhanian took the help of social media and he dropped hints occasionally though he didn’t scoop in Williams’ own feed for a year after their meet. In August 2016, there was a group photo of Williams shared on social media. In this photo the sports superstar teased her top secret hero by cutely referring him ‘the nerd’.
7. The speculations
Since they kept their relation more like a confidential thing, rumors were in the air of Williams dating other people like music rappers Common and Drake. It was the time when Ohanian had just came out of his relationship with his college time girlfriend and a microbiologist by profession Sabriya Stukes.
shutterstockThe sports- tech couple kept their relationship under wraps so intelligently that no one could even guess anything about them. But… only till October 2015 as a report came of the two having lunch together. And then starts the speculations throughout.
8. An accidental and shocking revelation of pregnancy
Then came a very shocking revelation or better to say an accidental revelation but that travelled throughout the world in a blink of eye. Williams, by chance, bring out the news of her first pregnancy.
InstagramShe shared a selfie showing her baby bump and captioned it “20 weeks” on Snapchat. However, she deleted it soon but that was enough to get captured by the eyes. Fans were stunned but not the secret couple as they got to know they are expecting.
9. Six pregnancy tests
It was few weeks before Australian Open in January, Williams had been feeling discomfort. She got some intuitions and went for a pregnancy test.
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 9, 2018. Serena Williams of the U.S. in action during her fourth round match against Russia’s Evgeniya Rodina . REUTERS/Toby Melville“I did a double take” she recalled in an interview to Vanity Fair. “And my heart dropped. Like literally it dropped. Oh my God, this can’t be — I’ve got to play a tournament. How am I going to play the Australian Open? I had planned on winning Wimbledon this year.”
10. No idea about Reddit
Even the other side story was no less than his; Williams had no idea about Reddit, either. However, she tried to impress him but that in that attempt she was nearly got caught as she took help of a white lie. She told Reddit’s co-founder that she had just logged onto the popular site earlier that morning. “Oh, were you? What do you like about it?” Ohanian asked her. She’d replied, “Wellllll….” Fortunately, Williams’ friends quickly interrupted in the middle to save her. Lucky she was!
shutterstock/ Ohanian cheers Serena Williams of USA during US Open 2018 women’s single final against Naomi OsakaBut there was something in that meeting that took Ohanian’s towards the Tennis game. He took interest in watching Tennis and attended the 2015 Italian Open to watch Williams in action that week. “Looks like I just became a tennis fan. #priime,” he wrote on, captioning a snapshot of her hitting the court.
12. A confession of love forever
Even before celebrating their first anniversary together, Ohanian was sure he wanted to marry Williams. “I felt like a door had been opened to a person who made me want to be my best self,” he told Vanity Fair. The tech expert planned a romantic proposal that he wanted to be picture perfect. Flying out to Rome, Williams put rose petals up to the spot where they first met. He made it little funny as well and put a plastic rat on the hotel table.
InstagramWilliams then plucked her courage and announced their engagement through Reddit. She shared her fiancé’s drawing of the Snoos couple kissing each other (Snoos is a space alien mascot of the Reddit website). She even called herself “Future Mrs. Kn0thing, as Alexis’ Reddit username is Kn0thing. Ohanian replied to her post, “And you made me the happiest man on the planet.” This was something very cute.
Did it bring tears of happiness in your eyes?
14. It made me stronger
Williams suffered through shortness of breath, over the next week after the birth. It was due to small blood clots in her lungs and an intense coughing fit. That brought some more pain to her and opened up her C-section wound. She went under a surgery to close it, at that time doctors found a large hematoma that had flooded her abdomen. It was six weeks she spent recovering at home and was on complete bed rest. “I was happy to change diapers,” Ohanian said. “But on top of everything she was going through, the feeling of not being able to help made it even harder.”
InstagramBut it never discouraged her and in fact her childbirth complications let her to advocate for health care around the world using her platform. “My personal experience was not great but it was MY experience and I’m happy it happened to me,” she wrote on Facebook. “It made me stronger.”
15. An astonishing gesture with family outing
Ohanian never missed any chance to make their moment a special one. Few days before their wedding, Ohanian rented out an entire movie theatre. He wanted his whole family could watch Thor: Ragnarok together. “Momma needed a day off to relax. She really wanted to see her other man, Thor, in Ragnarok.”
“We’re gonna cover your eyes for all the violent scenes,” Ohanian tells his little girl. Williams adds, “And she has earmuffs on,” ensuring that the comic book flick’s violent images and loud noises would not harm the infant. “Safety first,” Ohanian says, before jokingly adding, “Even though Thor is your mother’s other man. It’s okay, he’s not that tall.”
The video concluded with an adorable scene, the camera panned towards Williams sound asleep, her head resting on Ohanian’s shoulder as a pillow. On this portion of the clip he put the caption saying, “Of course mama fell asleep.” So very cute.
16. And yet another journey begins with Disney dreams
Engaged for nearly a year, in November 2017 Williams and Ohanian tied the knot in New Orleans, the ceremony was anything but ordinary. The wedding was Disney themed affair unlike any traditional one. It was a star-studded wedding and was attended by the likes of Beyoncé, Eva Longoria, and Ciara, followed a magical Beauty and the Beast theme.
Instagram17. non-traditional as possible
Williams wanted her wedding to be “as non-traditional as possible”, as she told to Vogue. And, when she emerged in a dramatic strapless, belted Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen princess gown with a cape, all eyes glued to her. She completed her attire with sparkling jewelry by XIV Karats and a bouquet of white roses in her hand, while Ohanian was looking handsome in an Armani suit.
The two exchanged vows, personally written. “You are the greatest of all time, not just in sport,” he told his beautiful bride. “I’m talking about as a mother and as a wife. I am so excited to write so many more chapters of our fairy tale together. And my whole life I didn’t even realize it, but I was waiting for this moment … I am so grateful, and I am so in love.”
Instagram18. The newlyweds first danced
The Disney-themed ceremony when later transformed into a modern ball, the newlyweds first danced on “Tale as Old as Time” and “If I Can’t Have You.”
InstagramTheir ballroom dance was made complete with impressive spins and lifts. The ceremony had lots of surprises but there was a twist before Ohanian could surprise his beloved wife with an all-white carousel as Ginuwine’s “Pony” played. There was a surprise performance by New Edition.
20. Relationship Goals
Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian, she, a tennis star and he, an internet entrepreneur, is a couple with completely different backgrounds. But eventually these two are clearly total #RelationshipGoals. The couple who initially kept their relationship a secret later opened up. The married pair is now known for sharing their cutest, funniest, and the most romantic moments on social media.
Instagram
Well, even we have few favorites out of their moments they shared publicly. There are many but the specials are, the couple having fun with flower filters, sharing an intimate moment on their wedding day, smiling big in their first official family portrait, and busting out dance moves with New Edition.