Serena Williams has always found herself in the center of the media spotlight for various reasons. This past summer, she found herself under even more scrutiny than usual leading up to the US Open. Given the fact that she recently had a baby, people were commenting on whether she should be back on the court so soon instead of being home with her child. This is a uniquely feminine problem to have. No one scrutinizes men for going back to work this soon, but the second a woman does, there is media uproar. Below is an ad for Beats by Dr. Dre that addresses this.
Instead of tearing Serena down, this commercial builds her up and shows the queen she is. She doesn’t need to choose between being a mother or an athlete, because she can do both. This particular advertisement depicts Serena as a strong woman.
On the other hand, after the US Open finished earlier this year, there was a different controversy surrounding Serena Williams. During her final match, Serena got in an argument with umpire. And this time, instead of the media celebrating her strengths, it decided to show her in a negative light. A cartoon went viral in the Herald Sun the next day, depicting Serena in very stereotypical and inaccurate ways. It brought back characteristics that have been pinned to Serena throughout her career, such as being angry and aggressive. Collins also explained how this cartoon played into ideas of “the angry black woman” that has been seen throughout history.
What these two very different representations of Serena can tell us is how every day she has to battle with how she is depicted as a black woman. Sometimes, as in the case of the Beats Ad, she is portrayed as the strong, powerful, mother she is. However, she also still has to deal with racist depictions in the media as well. The specific case of Serena can highlight the very different ways women can be portrayed, and how there is still a lot to be done to improve these depictions.
The Advertising Implications 