Misogynoir is rampant in the fitness world, from amateur gyms to professional athletes. The industry may be becoming more inclusive in terms of size and gender but race is still something of a taboo.  

Let’s take Serena Williams as an example. She was (and still is) the best at what she does; her grace and poise on and off-court will always be a source of inspiration. But her success has been a double-edged sword. In my opinion, she’s been treated differently by the media and the public because of her physical prowess as a Black woman. Remember when a cartoonist for Australia’s Herald Sun depicted Serena as an oversized creature with huge lips, wild hair, bulging muscles – jumping on a destroyed tennis racket as a tiny blonde appointment is told by an umpire to “just let her win”? That cartoon was cleared by a press watchdog of any racism or sexism in February 2019 – five months after its publication. As a young Black woman, I looked at how the public discussed Serena’s body and was terrified of how I might be treated if I entered the fitness industry.