Venus Williams Doesn’t Identify as a Feminist

Don’t call Venus Williams a ‘feminist’ because she doesn’t like labels.

In Elle UK‘s June 2018 edition, Venus Williams reveals why she doesn’t identify with the term ‘feminist.’

The 37-year-old professional tennis player told the magazine, “I don’t like labels – though I do think as women we have much more power and opportunities in our hands than ever before.”

When asked about equality and women’s rights, Williams went on to say: “for me, the conversation [around equality] was never there. There are always challenges that you have to overcome on a daily basis. Unfortunately, people have the tendency to want to dominate one another, but fortunately, there are people who want to build other women up. It’s up to those people who want to build to hopefully eliminate all that negativity.”

Although Williams doesn’t agree with the term, she may be referring to people who identify as a ‘feminist’ as those tasked with building up other women, since a ‘feminist’ is someone who advocates for equality of the sexes.

The rest of William’s interview is in Elle UK’s June editions available on newsstands today.