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French Tennis Player Alize Cornet Was Penalized for Fixing Her Shirt on the Court at the 2018 U.S. Open


It hasn’t even been a week since the controversy over Serena Williams‘ French Open attire, and now the tennis world once again finds itself embroiled in a dustup over what is appropriate for women in the sport.

At the 2018 U.S. Open, French player Alizé Cornet was given a code violation by a chair umpire for removing her shirt on the court, after she realized she was wearing it backward. According to the official Women’s Tennis Association rulebook, female players can change their shirts only off-court. There’s no comparable rule for the men—some of whom, like Novak Djokovic, openly sat shirtless with no repercussions multiple times yesterday.

Cornet had just returned from a 10-minute heat break (it’s currently sweltering in New York), during which she changed her shirt. When she got on the court, she realized she had put it on backward, so she quickly took off the shirt and turned it around. The whole switch took about 10 seconds. The chair umpire who issued the code violation was male.

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Social media users were quick to call out the double standard in Cornet’s situation. That includes Billie Jean King, who wrote on Twitter, “This rule is outdated and impractical.”

Shortly after the incident, the U.S Open issued a statement to clarify its position. “Players who do change their shirts will not be assessed a code violation,” US Open director of communications Chris Widmaier said. “We regret that Ms. Cornet was assessed a code violation. However, luckily, she was assessed a warning only and there was no further penalty above a warning.”

“When possible, if a more private location is near a court and is requested, that player will be allowed to go to that private location to change, and they will not be assessed a bathroom break,” the statement continued. “We follow WTA procedures regarding bathroom breaks. A quick change of attire will not considered one of their two bathroom breaks.” Widmaier said no code violations for similar actions will be assessed going forward in the tournament.

While the U.S. Open may have backpedaled on the issue now, it’s all too clear that the powers-that-be in women’s tennis need to take a look at the ways they are policing their female players’ bodies and attire.

On Friday Bernard Giudicelli of the French Tennis Federation said they would “impose certain limits” on clothing that can be worn during the tournament, beginning with the 2019 French Open. This was in response to Williams’ catsuit (worn back in May), which he said went “too far” and would not be allowed next year.

PHOTO: Jean Catuffe

“It will no longer be accepted,” Giudicelli said. “One must respect the game and the place.”

In an interview with The Cut published today, tennis legend Billie Jean King said of the policing of women’s outfits on the court: “Fashion usually dictates our freedoms. Back in the old days, our wrists and our ankles couldn’t be shown. If you look at the fashion every decade in women’s tennis—which is very small—you can see how things are changing in the world for us: our freedoms, the way we dress, which is good. But I never hear them really talk about how the guys should dress.”

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Serena Williams Has the Most Epic Response to the French Open's Catsuit Ban


Serena Williams, greatest athlete of our time, has finally spoken about French Tennis Federation’s recently announced ban against the Nike catsuit she wore to compete in the French Open in May 2018.

Williams’ catsuit for the tournament, her first after giving birth to her daughter last year, had a specific purpose: It was engineered to prevent blood clots, which Williams had experienced during her pregnancy. The catsuit was also a hit with fans online, who called it her “superhero suit.” However, the French Tennis Federation’s president recently announced that outfits like Williams’ catsuit would “not be accepted” at the event beginning in 2019.

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When asked at a recent press conference what she thought of the recent changes to the dress code, which targeted her catsuit as “too far,” ESPN reported that Williams had a legendary response.

“When it comes to fashion, you don’t want to be a repeat offender,” Williams deadpanned.

It sounded like Williams is taking the news in stride—and the ban won’t stop her from wearing clothes that address her health needs (while looking incredible) on the court. When asked how she would approach future outfits, she said that she’s “found other methods” to prevent the blood clots she experiences.

Williams also put any rumors of beef with the French Tennis Federation’s president to rest: “We have a great relationship,” she explained. “Everything’s fine, guys.”

Watch her entire exchange with reporters, below.

Before Williams had shared her thoughts on the debacle, Nike came to her defense with a tweet of its own. “You can take the superhero out of her costume, but you can never take away her superpowers,” the brand tweeted on Saturday.

So, by the way, did tennis legend Billie Jean King. “The policing of women’s bodies must end,” she tweeted on Saturday. “The ‘respect’ that’s needed is for the exceptional talent ⁦@serenawilliams⁩ brings to the game. Criticizing what she wears to work is where the true disrespect lies.”

There you have it. Williams has served the last word—and we’re sure she’ll be hitting the court in even more epic attire soon.

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Serena Williams' Nike Catsuit Has Been Banned From the French Open


In May, Serena Williams played in the 2018 French Open, her first tournament since giving birth to daughter Alexis Olympia last summer. She stepped onto the court wearing a black catsuit specially designed for her by Nike—and fans loved it. However, the president of the French Tennis Federation apparently wasn’t a fan, and the Associate Press is reporting that the organization is adopting new measures to regulate players’ outfits, which would effectively ban a catsuit like Williams’.

In an interview with Tennis magazine, Bernard Giudicelli said that French Tennis Federation would “impose certain limits” on clothing that can be worn during the event, beginning with the 2019 French Open. Per ESPN, he cited Williams’ skin-tight black catsuit as an example of a uniform that went “too far.”

“It will no longer be accepted,” Giudicelli said. “One must respect the game and the place.”

PHOTO: Aurelien Meunier

Williams returned to the French Open this year after the life-threatening delivery of her daughter. In an interview with Vogue, the tennis champion shared that she had a pulmonary embolism removed during her C-section, and suffered from blood clots. The custom Nike catsuit she wore to compete in the French Open took that into account: According to the Guardian, her outfit was engineered to prevent further blood clots while she played tennis.

Not only did the Nike catsuit address Williams’ health needs, it was also symbolic of her triumphant return to the court. The one-piece with a single red stripe around the waist was meant to represent “[a]ll the moms out there that had a tough pregnancy and have to come back and try to be fierce, in [the] middle of everything,” Williams told USA Today.

2018 French Open - Day Five

PHOTO: Fred Lee

Across the Internet, people shared outraged reactions to the news of the impending French Tennis Federation dress code, and the fact that it would prohibit Williams’ outfit. Some suggested that the move demonstrates discomfort with women’s bodies and unfairly penalizes the tennis star. “Serena Williams is almost always singled out in tennis,” sports reporter Taylor Rooks tweeted. “It’s not her job to make you feel comfortable.”

Williams’ tennis outfits are widely lauded in the fashion and sports communities. Most recently, she revealed some of her looks for the 2018 US Open, which were designed in collaboration with Nike and Off-White’s Virgil Abloh. Williams has not yet commented on the announcement from the French Tennis Federation.

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Serena Williams Not Seeded At French Open After Giving Birth


When three-time French Open winner Serena Williams returns to Grand Slam tennis next week, the top competitor will face a mother of a battle.

After 14 months off the court to recover not just from childbirth, but from near fatal complications that kept her bedridden for six weeks, Williams will compete in the French Open, dropped from her previous rank of No. 1 down to No. 453. The decision could compel Williams to face her most serious rivals at the start of the competition, an unexpected elimination risk for the 23-time Grand Slam winner who was ranked No. 1 in the world after she won the Australian Open while pregnant in 2017. (Yes, while pregnant.)

“This year again, tournament officials will establish the list and ranking of the women’s seeds based on the WTA ranking,” the French Tennis Federation said in a statement to The Associated Press. “Consequently, [the seeds] will reflect this week’s world ranking.”

And in this week’s world ranking, Williams is No. 453.

This isn’t bad luck for Williams or a simple blameless blunder in the rules. Make no mistake: officials at the French Open have opted to overlook Williams’ circumstances, despite the protestations of even Williams’ rivals.

At the Italian Open last week, Maria Sharapova, who’s lost three Grand Slam finals to Williams, said that she’d “like to see that [rule] change.”

“It’s such an incredible effort for a woman to come back from physically, emotionally,” Sharapova said, adding that motherhood adds “another whole dimension to the travel, to the experiences, to the emotions, to the physicality of every single day.” If a woman wants to take that on, Sharapova seemed to suggest, she shouldn’t be set back for it.

Elina Svitolina, who won the Italian Open, also wanted to see Williams seeded this week. Simona Halep put it in the plainest possible terms: “It’s normal to give birth. It’s normal to have protected ranking.” This, she continued, “is more than tennis.”

In the meantime, some technical rules have been bent to accommodate her. Williams is able to compete in Paris at Roland Garros because the Women’s Tennis Association at least does have a “special ranking rule,” which allows competitors to use a previous ranking to enter up to eight tournaments within 12 months of their return from childbirth or other serious injuries. But the fact that the WTA doesn’t distinguish between genuine impairments and the birth of an infant speaks to just how much ground the tour needs to cover to meet the modern needs of its participants.

While it’s true that women have tended to retire from the sport before children, more and more of them have decided not to put off motherhood to finish competition. As USA Today notes, Kim Clijsters won three of her four majors after the birth of her first child. And Sania Mirza, who’s won three Grand Slam titles in doubles, has said she will return to the court after she delivers in October.

Since she delivered her daughter in September, Williams has “had to rebuild her body,” her coach Patrick Mouratoglou told the WTA tour website. And while she’s entered two events since then (at Indian Wells and the Miami Open), Mouratoglou explained that the French Open is the real return. “Serena will play the French Open to win it”—no matter how arduous the climb back to the top.

The draw for the French Open is set for later this week, and competition will start over the weekend. In at least one respect, Williams continues to be treated like the record breaker she is. She tweeted on Monday that she’d been tested for the second time this week, despite a standing that wouldn’t seem to demand such concerted attention.

That same afternoon, the WTA said it would reconsider its position on protected seeds for its 2019 season and added that it remains “committed to evolving with the needs of our players and are very supportive of those players returning from maternity leave to the tour.”

When Williams entered the Miami Open, James Blake, its director and a former competitor himself, said that he saw the matter as more straightforward, not a matter for as much deliberation as the WTA seems to feel it needs. “She had a kid, which we should all be celebrating, so when she comes back there should be a grace period where she can still be seeded,” he said.

Instead, he went on, “It’s a kind of punishment, which is tough.”





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The Best French Clothing and Fashion Brands You Haven't Heard of Yet (Guide)


Scan the streets of almost any neighborhood in Paris, and you’ll see a wide range of international high-street chains (the Topshop’s and the Mango’s), mid-range French boutiques (the Maje’s and the Kooples’) and luxury fashion houses (the Dior’s and the Louis Vuitton’s). All are widely exported, to every major metropolis, from New York to Tokyo. And for so long, when travelers flocked to France with an expectation of coming back with their suitcase filled-to-the-brim, those classics are what the collective imagination called to mind.

The reality of shopping in Paris in 2018, however, is far more diverse and exciting: There are smaller, emerging, and even under-the-radar labels doing brisk business in the capital, with a growing market of overseas sales. Sézane dipped into American retail, first through collaborations with Madewell and then by expanding its e-commerce to the U.S. and eventually opening up one of it’s L’Appartements in New York; sneaker brand Veja, meanwhile, has become the indie favorite in the footwear space. And the list of authentically French brands that should be on your radar goes on. Ahead, you’ll find 10 of your favorites, to pick up next time you’re in Paris or get delivered to your door.

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French Icon Catherine Deneuve Signs Controversial Open Letter Criticizing #MeToo Movement


Catherine Deneuve, the 74-year-old French actress known for her decades-long career, has joined 99 other women in signing an open letter that challenges the #MeToo movement and its French counterpart #Balancetonporc, claiming that the public campaigns infantilize women, limit sexual freedom, and contribute to “puritanical” and “totalitarian” thinking.

The letter was published Tuesday in French newspaper Le Monde, and its signatories are academics, entertainers, and writers, including author Catherine Millet, psychoanalyst Catherine Robbe-Grillet, and actress Christine Boisson.

“Rape is a crime. But insistent or clumsy flirting is not a crime, nor is gallantry a chauvinist aggression,” the women write, according to a translation printed in The New York Times. “As a result of the Weinstein affair, there has been a legitimate realization of the sexual violence women experience, particularly in the workplace, where some men abuse their power. It was necessary. But now this liberation of speech has been turned on its head.”

In the letter, the women also denounced #MeToo for punishing men too abruptly. Likening the public reckoning that’s ousted many high-profile men from positions of power to a “witch hunt,” they lamented that “expedited justice already has its victims, men prevented from practicing their profession as punishment, forced to resign, etc., while the only thing they did wrong was touching a knee, trying to steal a kiss, or speaking about ‘intimate’ things at a work dinner…”

The letter is likely an example of problematic generational divides that complicate the #MeToo conversation and fail to hold men accountable for their behavior: Last year, designer Donna Karan, 69, apologized after saying that women who were assaulted by film producer Harvey Weinstein were “asking for it.” Ninety-two-year-old actress Angela Lansbury also made the world cringe when she said women “must sometimes take blame” for harassment. And, in an interview with The Sunday Times Magazine back in 2015, rocker Chrissie Hynde, 66, said she took “full responsibility” for a sexual assault incident she experienced at age 21, in which she was raped by a motorcycle gang member who offered her a ride to a party.

Plus, as The Atlantic points out, there are also cultural differences at play here. While women in the U.S. may feel a strength in numbers and solidarity in speaking out French women may fear that “naming names will more likely win you accusations of being a ‘collabo,’ or turncoat, not to mention an affront to your own sex appeal.

Needless to say, Le Monde letter met with a wave of backlash that was swift and biting.

Italian actress Asia Argento—one of the first women to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct—tweeted “Deneuve and other French women tell the world how their interiorized misogyny has lobotomized them to the point of no return,” while a group of about 30 activists, led by French feminist Caroline De Haas, responded by saying that Deneuve and the co-signers had conflated flirting and sexual violence.

“One means treating the other as your equal, respecting their desires, whatever they may be. The other is treating them as an object at your disposal, paying no attention to their own desires, or their consent,” they wrote.

Deneuve has spoken about women’s issues in the past, even admitting to having an illegal abortion in France in the 1970s. However, it’s not the first time she’s denounced #MeToo—she called the movement “excessive” last fall. She’s also been criticized for defending the director Roman Polanski, who pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.





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