Serena Williams is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, having won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, scoring dozens of major sponsorships and millions in prize money, as well as being one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. However, when Williams is on the court, the focus is on her tennis skill and not her natural beauty, which may leave many wondering about Serena Williams’ eye color.
Serena Williams’ eye color is brown. The athletic knockout is a media mainstay, and her natural eye color can be seen in numerous videos and photographs, along with her keen sense of fashion and confident nature.
Read more below about Serena Williams’ career, her empowering message to all women, and why she’ll probably never change her eye color.
From Toddler Training to Tennis Titan
Serena Williams was born in Saginaw, Michigan, though she spent her childhood in Compton, California, where she started playing tennis when she was 3-years old, following in the footsteps of her older sister, Venus. By the time she was 10, the family had relocated to Florida so both Serena and Venus could train with Rick Macci at his legendary tennis camp.
Serena Williams’ pro career began shortly after her fourteenth birthday in 1995. By the time the new decade rolled around, Williams had won the US Open, and just a few short years later during the 2002-2003 season, Williams would accomplish what is now known as the “Serena Slam,” winning all four major major tournaments, including Wimbledon.
Since that time, Williams has remained at the top of her game, winning dozens of tournaments, snagging a spot on the list of top serve speeds in the history of the sport, and creating a veritable empire including a lavish real estate portfolio and an eponymous fashion line.
Not only that, but the tennis star has been lucky in love, marrying Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian, and delivering a healthy baby girl, Olympia, in 2017. The brown eyed beauty often takes to Instagram to share adorable snaps of her family, which has clearly become her a top priority.
Body Positivity and a Self-Confident Serena
Another thing that Williams has always been passionate about is body positivity. The tremendous athlete has faced criticism for her body for decades,but has always taken the high road, opting to lift herself and other women up, instead of caving to the demands of her detractors.
During an interview with Vogue, the tennis titan revealed her thoughts, saying, “I want women to know that it’s okay. That you can be whatever size you are and you can be beautiful inside and out. We’re always told what’s beautiful, and what’s not, and that’s not right.” In an interview with Elle, she echoed similar sentiments, explaining that she’d been told she was too manly and not attractive enough to be a tennis player.
You can watch Serena Williams talk about how she learned to love her body in the YouTube video below.
The Benefits of Brown Eyes
Serena Williams is a striking woman. Standing 5’9”, the tennis titan has a strong, muscular build from her decades of training, has long, beautiful hair that most women covet and deep brown eyes. Like all her other features, Williams’ eye color was determined by genetics.
Eye color is based on the amount of melanin a person has stored in their iris. Melanin, which also helps to determine one’s hair and skin color, is stored in cellular pockets called melanosomes, and the lower the amount of melanin, the lighter a person’s eye color will be.
Brown is the most common eye color in the world. Though close to 41% of all people in the United States have brown eyes, the range of hues varies wildly, and people with brown eyes have some added health benefits, like being less susceptible to sun radiation and less likely to develop certain types of cancer.
Though there is a permanent way to change one’s eye color, most people simply opt to use colored contacts, which is a temporary and relatively harmless way to achieve the eye color one desires. There is no guarantee Serena Williams will never use colored contacts, but given her belief in loving one’s self as they are, it is unlikely she’d ever want any other eye color but brown.