Serena Williams has made history as the first woman to ever wear cornrows on a Teen Vogue cover.
The 37-year-old tennis star is sporting the braids on the cover of the magazine’s December issue, which shows her modeling a voluminous coral jacket and gold dangly earrings.
‘We put cornrows on the cover of Teen Vogue for the first time in the publication’s history,’ the magazine tweeted on Wednesday.
Incredibe: Serena Williams has made history as the first woman to ever wear cornrows on the cover of Teen Vogue magazine
Serena has been wearing braids for years, both on and off the tennis court. At her friend Meghan Markle’s royal wedding, the mother-of-one wore her hair in Senegalese braids and twists.
The new issue was the first cover created under the helm of Teen Vogue’s new editor-in-chief, Lindsay Peoples Wagner, who is the youngest black editor of a major publication.
The cover was also shot by a black woman, British photographer Ronan Mckenzie.
‘My mother once told me that to sustain myself in this industry, I would have to be what I needed when I was younger,’ the 28-year-old editor wrote in an introduction to her interview with the athlete and 12-year-old gun control activist Naomi Wadler.
‘So here we are — Serena in cornrows for the first time on a cover, in conversation with two young black girls just trying to figure out our magic.’
At Teen Vogue’s Summit, Lindsay spoke with Serena and Naomi about the importance of putting other black women on and giving them a chance.
Stunning: It was the first cover created under the helm of Teen Vogue’s new editor-in-chief, Lindsay Peoples Wagner, who is the youngest black editor of a major publication
‘It’s definitely important to have that conversation, and then encourage people to support each other. Especially as women of color,’ Serena said.
‘We really have to support each other. I always like to say that women really should support each other, because the success of one woman should be the inspiration to the next.
‘If we look at it that way, there would be so much more that we can accomplish.’
Naomi, who rose to fame after giving a powerful speech at the March for Our Lives protest in Washington, D.C. last year, said that she finds inspiration from her fellow activists.
‘I think that that’s what keeps me motivated, knowing that people care and that I’m not alone, and that we’re not alone, and that we’re all together, and there’s power in numbers,’ she said. ‘I think about that and I can continue on.’
During the candid conversation, Serena also opened up about the practicalities of combining motherhood with her sports career while admitting to having ‘rough days.’
Beautiful: The cover was also shot by a black woman, British photographer Ronan Mckenzie
Stunning: A close-up shot shows Serena in all of her beauty