Serene Serena Williams offers such a source of strength for girls everywhere
IN a world where young women are mutilating their faces and bodies in a futile bid to look perfect, and posting heavily edited versions of themselves online, thank the Lord for Serena Williams.
This strong, confident sportswoman appeared on the cover of a glossy magazine this month on one condition.
She insisted to Harper’s Bazaar that her magnificent body was to be free of filters, airbrushing and any sort of digital enhancement.
The result was sensational and sends out such a positive message. The picture shows a scar on her leg and that her body has a few of the lumps and bumps you would expect from a 37-year-old woman.
And that is the point.
No one has flawless skin or perfect hair and teeth (not even Taylor Swift or Rihanna) and we need to accept that is perfectly OK.
I happen to believe it is our so-called “flaws” that make us interesting.
Compare and contrast Serena, who was such a joy to watch with our very own Andy Murray in the Wimbledon mixed doubles, with most of the vacuous, insecure, show-offs in the Love Island villa.
Those young girls wouldn’t dream of posting an unfiltered selfie on Instagram, never mind going natural on a magazine front cover.
Which is a great shame.
Because if you took away the hair extensions, fake brows, Botox, fillers, false nails, boob jobs and overdone spray tans, they would be more attractive.
And if all the hours squandered on these unnecessary treatments were instead spent talking to each other — or reading a book — they would all be much more interesting.
Serena is a wise woman and, as the mother of a young daughter, she will want her precious girl to grow up knowing that what’s on the inside is most important.
I remember when I did healthy eating plan The Bikini Promise on my TV morning show. We had women of all ages, shapes and sizes dancing around outside the studio in their bikinis, looking so happy and confident that I simply had to join in.
I also had photos taken that morning and, like Serena, insisted that these weren’t to be altered in any way.
That didn’t stop me getting criticised, with one twitterer complaining I had photoshopped the image because of an unnatural bulge on my inner thigh.
She didn’t realise that lump was actually a massive scar which was the result of a serious accident.
I was self- conscious about it, and this was the first time I’d dared to bare my scar. I was hurt by the comments and it made me want to go back to covering up with sarongs and never wearing shorts ever again.
In the end, I was glad I hadn’t made the scar digitally disappear because we all have our war wounds. They tell the story of our lives and proclaim that we are survivors.
Serena bears hers with pride, the signs of a long and physically demanding career.
That is to be applauded and, regardless of the result of today’s final with Simona Halep, she is already a winner.
I don’t think there are many women in the public eye brave enough to follow her lead, but I hope that she has inspired some to be photographed in a far more natural way.
The pendulum has swung so far backwards to a completely unrealistic, and frankly very dull idea of female beauty.
It can only be a matter of time until there’s a sea change, and trailblazing women like Serena will have definitely helped restore some balance.
Stop Meghan a fuss
I’M not exactly Madonna, but when I’m out and about people often chat to me as though they know me and sometimes they ask for selfies.
This happens most often if I’m at the football or a concert or any event where lots of people are gathered together.
It takes two minutes to have a conversation and a quick photo.
I am well aware it’s very different for Meghan Markle who is a global superstar.
People can’t get close enough to her to exchange pleasantries or take a proper photo.
But in this age of mobile phones, it’s simply impossible to stop people taking cheeky pics. So I’d like to think there was a breakdown in communication and Meghan didn’t climb on to her high horse and demand no one take a snap of her in the Wimbledon royal box.
It would be most uncharacteristic for a woman who has proved on royal visits that she’s extremely approachable and very happy to talk to the fans who wait hours for her and Harry.
Meghan wants to make the world a better place, especially since becoming a mum.
It would be a great shame if her relationship with the British public were to be damaged over something so silly.
CHLOE’S TRAGIC LEGACY
POOR little Chloe Wiegand died after plunging 150 feet from a cruise ship.
Chloe, who was just 18 months old, was playing with her grandfather when the awful accident happened last weekend.
The exact circumstances are confused and legal process is under way.
It’s unclear whether Chloe fell through an open window or somehow slipped through grandfather Salvatore’s fingers.
One thing is certain. He will never be the same again and will spend the remainder of his life racked with guilt.
Renee's got Judy
HAVE you seen the sneaky preview of the new Judy Garland biopic starring Renee Zellweger?
I have to admit to some misgivings about whether this cutesy pie actress would be able to channel Judy’s raw pain as well as her towering talent.
But Renee has even been able to repeat that heartbreaking throb in Judy’s voice.
It’s a barnstorming performance worthy of Judy the most talented, misunderstood and vulnerable shining star the golden age of Hollywood ever produced.
SURANNE VERSUS AIDAN
THERE’S a big giant Gentleman Jack-sized hole in my life now that the first series is over.
But all is not lost because Poldark is back to fill that important 9pm Sunday night TV slot.
The bad news is that this will be the last-ever series, but we can merrily occupy ourselves by pondering whether Suranne Jones as Anne Lister or Aidan Turner as Captain Ross Poldark is the most fanciable.
For me it’s far too close to call.
Not even Her Majesty is safe
I WAS appalled to read the Sun’s exclusive story about an intruder managing to break into the grounds of Buckingham Palace in the wee small hours of Wednesday morning, and who was able to get far too close to our 93 year old Queen who was asleep at the time.
It brought back memories from 37 years ago when an intruder broke into the Queen’s bedroom.
Unemployed Michael Fagan, 33, scaled the 14ft high wall around the palace, climbed up a drainpipe, broke in through a window and found his way to the Queen’s bedroom.
With remarkable courage, Her Majesty calmly kept him talking before getting help.
Can you imagine if Fagan had been brandishing a weapon or if he was a terrorist intent upon taking the most high profile hostage on the planet?
And what if this latest intruder was carrying a bottle of acid or wearing a suicide bomb vest?
It doesn’t bear thinking about.
If we can’t even guarantee the safety and protection of our Queen, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that the rest of us are safe in our beds.
WASN’T that Tory Prime Minister debate this week truly depressing?
The best performance came from the unflappable Julie Etchingham, who took no crap from either nursery school thug Johnson or head boy Hunt.
They were both effectively slapped down with a “hard stare” that would have made Paddington Bear’s aunt Lucy very proud.
Boris blustered, gimlet-eyed Jeremy was smug.
And the rest of us could only look on aghast that it has come to this.
BEYONCE IS A GEM
BEYONCE and her daughter Blue Ivy went to the US premiere of the CGI version of The Lion King this week.
There’s already an Oscar buzz around this film, and most especially around her performance and rendition of Spirit, a song written especially for the reboot.
Mum and daughter opted for an interesting choice of similar bejewelled outfits.
I have to say, the rest of us would look like some sort of odd gothic Pearly Queen in this get-up, but as always Beyonce carried it off with aplomb.
She oozed charisma and elegance, and her daughter was just as cute as button.
Sheer class.