Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard that Serena’s strutting her stuff in a black catsuit at the French Open. (And if you have been living under a rock, come back out. It’s dark and wormy under there.)
I wasn’t going to touch the catsuit in the face-off. I figured she’d had plenty of press on it already. But when the topic comes up on the tennis court, I’m immediately asked if I’m going to include it in the blog. The consensus seems to be that I have to. So, for you rock dwellers out there, here’s the catsuit…
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I’m not a big fan of catsuit-as-tennis-wear in general, and this particular example of it doesn’t alter my opinion. But I get that she’s making a statement. As a mother myself, I have to support the “Moms Are Powerful” message. Women’s bodies, especially Serena’s, are amazing things, capable of bringing new life into the world and nailing the T with a 123-mph serve. If she wants to celebrate that, I’m all for it.
In keeping with the celebratory tone, we won’t vote on her fashion as tennis wear. Instead, we’ll consider its superhero aspects. Skintight with a nod to a utility belt? Basically, it’s a Batgirl costume…
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Actually, it’s very convenient for me that Serena sported a superhero outfit this tournament because I’d been looking for a worthy foil for another superhero-wannabe, Fabio Fognini…
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who’s all duded up as Shazam…
You just can’t make this stuff up.
We have three polls today…and I’m expecting some good participation in the comment section!
Shazam photo, BagoGames, CC by 2.0
Her catsuit is definitely getting people to talk! My first knee jerk reaction was “Oh no, what the …?” and then I reflecting on my own reaction to it and I decided that I reacted that way because maybe I am a tinge jealous that I don’t have the guts to do it. And for that reason, I celebrate her choice!
Yes, she’s braver than I am, for sure!!
I love how you handled Serena’s outfit, as well as finding the parallel with Fognini! It’s a challenging choice, but as with so much with Serena, she demands our attention and respect. How funny that people like Fognini better as super hero, but would trust Serena to rescue them. Interesting.
Serena could break Fabio in half.
I definitely would trust Serena to rescue me, although a rescue by Fabio might be a lot more fun afterwards. 🙂 As for the Shazam, is he trying to intimidate his opponents? It seems like an odd choice. The catsuit, I have to agree is striking. She is so bold. It suits her (sorry for the pun). But it isn’t the most flattering thing I’ve seen her wear. I bet it doesn’t get in her way at all, though. Maybe it will be a new trend. After all, who wouldn’t want to be like Serena? I think you should try it.
Fognini’s so weird. Who knows what he’s thinking?
Yes, I will definitely try out the catsuit. Right after I start tucking in my shirts.
A catsuit as tennis wear? I’m perplexed. Where do you hold the ball!
I’m guessing if you’re wearing a catsuit you’d have plenty of men buzzing around who’d be happy to help.
But on the topic of practicality, doesn’t it look like she’d get too warm in it? I wonder what it’s made of…
I love the floral fashions on Camila Giorgi…but anything looks good on a beautiful, fit, young Italian woman. Quite reserved and a fresh look compared to the popular neon fashions….and catsuits…..
I was noticing her outfit, too! At first I thought it was from Venus’s EleVen collection, but it’s not. Giorgi’s mother used to make all her clothes, so maybe her mom made this one as well. It’s not as ridiculously short as Giorgi’s earlier outfits–she has an amazing body, but I prefer the slightly longer skirt on this one.
I also just love watching her play. I don’t think she’ll ever crack the top-20 with her reckless game, but I’m always astonished by her timing and aggression.
Love the superhero themes. I wonder, though, if Fognini is channeling The Flash rather than Shazam? I admit that his lightning bolt looks more like Shazam’s, but The Flash is more current (pun intended) and goes super (pun intended) well with the idea of speed on the court.
Actually, now that I have used my own super powers and googled it, I see a Shazam movie is coming out next year. So perhaps he is Shazam.
Question on style: if one uses “google” as a verb, does one capitalize it?
Yes, he could be The Flash, too. I don’t really know my superheroes as well as I should, but when I saw Fognini, the word Shazam leapt to mind.
Re googling, I always wonder about that too. So I just googled it. There doesn’t seem to be consensus about capitalizing it. Merriam-Webster says it’s often capitalized, but their entry for the word is not. American English tends to evolve toward less formality, so I imagine we’ll see it capitalized less often as time goes by.
Here’s the M-W link: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/google
Any grammar nerds want to weigh in?