Tennis star Venus Williams has revealed the inspiration behind the iconic beads her sister Serena Williams and herself are known for over the years, especially during their earlier days as tennis stars. She had revealed this on Tuesday, which is a day after she attended the gala AFI Fest screening of the upcoming Will Smith movie King Richard, which is about her father, Richard, and his journey of coaching them into global tennis superstars.
Posting a series of photos where she was photographed spotting the iconic beads at the gala AFI Fest screening of King Richard, she captioned the photos explaining what the beads meant to her and her African heritage.
Tennis star Venus Williams started by saying that:
“When Serena Williams and I wore our iconic beads, we didn’t wear them to be different, we wore them because they were a part of our heritage. Beads are a typical style for African American children. Of course they are worn by adults too for decoration in African American culture but have deep roots in African history,” she said.
She continued by adding that:
“Beads and braids could be a symbol of your tribe, rank and status, age, religion and much more. They were and still remain in some areas of cultural significance to both men and women.
Wearing braids and beads unbeknownst to us at the time as children was an opportunity to share our beautiful and rich heritage with the world. It gave other African American women and children pride to wear their natural hair even before the natural hair movement sprouted decades later.
Wearing a beaded style for the premiere was a representation of my roots. The film is a true origins story. My hair represented not only my origins as a child in tennis, but also my African roots. It was a beautiful moment to celebrate it! Thank you to @nikkinelms for making this style come to life!,” she added.