Serena Williams wants her daughters, Olympia, 9, and Adira, 3, to grow up knowing their worth.
During a new interview with ESSENCE, the tennis star talked about how she encourages her girls to believe in themselves, even when others doubt them.
“I just always tell them never to doubt themselves,” she shared. “I tell them that the world is going to doubt you, so there’s no need for you to not believe in yourself. And I said, even if you don’t want to believe in yourself, you have to try. I’ll tell them at night how strong they are—strong, amazing Black women.”
Williams hopes to send that same message of confidence to other young girls through her new Barbie collaboration.
On October 8, Mattel released a Barbie Signature doll in her likeness. The collectible recreates the green-and-white tennis outfit she wore during her 2005 Australian Open victory, when she won her seventh Grand Slam singles title.
Williams was especially excited to see the finished product because both of her daughters love playing with Barbies.
“When I first saw it, I was so excited,” she told ESSENCE. “I mean, I particularly am obsessed with Barbies now because my daughters are both in the stage where they play with Barbies. And having an opportunity to have my own doll is insanely cute, especially for my kids.”
The mom of two was closely involved in the design process. She wanted the finished doll to look like her, right down to her skin tone and natural hair texture.
“It was really important for me to have the right skin tone,” she explained. “It was really important for me also for them to have the right hair. I’ve recently gone more blonde and I wanted it to be a little bit lighter than when I actually wore that outfit—so I wanted to stick that modern element into it. It was also really important for me to have a really curly hair texture, nothing straight.”
In a statement released Thursday, Williams shared what she hopes young girls will take away from seeing a Barbie that represents them.
“Growing up, I didn’t see many girls who looked like me being told there was no limit to who they could become. I want every girl who plays with this doll to see possibility—not just in me, but in herself. She can dream big, work hard, change direction, break barriers, and become anything she chooses,” Williams said.
