courtesy of ReutersLife & CultureNewsLife & Culture / NewsSerena Williams’ ‘Black Panther’ catsuit is banned from the French OpenAnd people are madShareLink copied ✔️August 26, 2018August 26, 2018TextThom Waite Serena Williams wore a tight black catsuit at the French Open earlier this year, which she said she calls her “Wakanda-inspired catsuit”, in reference to Marvel’s recent Black Panther film. But now Bernard Giudicelli, president of the French Tennis Federation, has announced that under the competition’s new rulings the outfit would be banned. Though he says he wouldn’t enforce as strict clothing rules as Wimbledon, where players can only wear white, Giudicelli told Tennis Magazine: “I believe we have sometimes gone too far. Serena’s outfit this year, for example, would no longer be accepted. You have to respect the game and the place.” In response, Williams didn’t explicitly agree with his decision, but told reporters that she was sure the two of them could “come to an understanding and everything will be OK,” adding: “It wouldn’t be a big deal. He’s a really great guy”. But others have weighed in on social media (ofc) with much more outraged responses. Some suggested that the ban on such clothing had racial overtones. Another case of racism disguised as a “dress code”. Bernard Giudicelli, head of the French Tennis Federation French Open, said Serena Williams catsuit was inappropriate. But white female tennis players are at the French Open with their whole ass out, and that’s ok pic.twitter.com/xYqnjHofJo— Tariq Nasheed (@tariqnasheed) August 24, 2018 While American sports/politics commentator Keith Olbermann called for an all-out boycott of the competition. This sexist, racist provincialism directed against Serena is very simply resolved. American sports media should and can immediately stop recognizing the French Open as part of the tennis “Grand Slam.” And players of both genders should decline to play. https://t.co/fEWtvZSCEd— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 25, 2018 Former World No. 1 tennis player Billie Jean King – recently depicted in The Battle of the Sexes – framed the ban as a feminist issue, saying the “policing of women’s bodies must end”. The policing of women’s bodies must end. The “respect” that’s needed is for the exceptional talent @serenawilliams brings to the game. Criticizing what she wears to work is where the true disrespect lies. https://t.co/ioyP9VTCxM— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) August 25, 2018 Let’s hope Virgil Abloh’s Off-White collection for Serena Williams’ upcoming US Open games doesn’t cause quite so much of a stir. Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MOREVCARBMeet the young creatives VCARB is getting into F1Everyone’s a critic now. Should they be?2025 was the year of the ‘swag gap’Meet the Dazed Clubbers on this year’s Dazed 100The pop culture moments that defined 2025The 2025 Dazed 100 USA list is hereWhat went down at ‘Saint Week’ in MiamiHunting for aliens on Mars should be a ‘top priority’, say scientistsThe silliest and sexiest takeaways from Pornhub’s 2025 reportGuillermo del Toro on Frankenstein and the Netflix & Warner Bros dealThe Dazed 100 is back for 2025The best books of 2025