Serena Williams: From Catsuit to Controversy

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2020

Department

Mass Communication and Journalism

School

Communication

Abstract

Serena Williams was involved in 2 major news stories in the summer of 2018—she wore a black catsuit at the French Open and was involved in an on-court controversy at the U.S. Open. Newspaper articles from this time frame were analyzed for the sex and race of the author, athletic descriptors of Williams (composure, emotionality, strength-based athletic skill), and framing of her maternity. Results indicated that Williams was framed differently by various groups of journalists and framed based on her public behavior.

Publication Title

International Journal of Sport Communication

Volume

13

Issue

1

First Page

28

Last Page

54

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