Serena Williams’ postpartum bikini pic reminds us all about self-love

Even pro-athletes can feel insecure about their bodies after having a baby, but professional tennis player Serena Williams shared an empowering Instagram post about loving your body and all that it did and still does to create and nourish a life. 

The superstar athlete took to her Instagram and shared a photo of her looking fierce on a boat with crystal blue water, in a white bikini. In the photo, she’s holding her beautiful infant daughter, Adira. Williams had some words of wisdom to impart to women everywhere, and particularly, moms.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams)

She admits in her caption that she finds she has to remind herself of self-love through all different stages of her life, but that loving yourself is essential.

“Right now I love that my body is not picture perfect. I love that I smell like milk—that milk sustains [Adira]. I love getting to know a new version of my body. It is a change, but it’s a change that has been well worth it. So start this week, knowing that you are loved, and that starts with you,” she eloquently captioned.

“Ok, now I’m about to go to the gym,” she said. While some may argue that she isn’t accepting her body as it is right now with that last comment on her caption, going to the gym to feel good about yourself and not hit a particular number on the scale is self-love as well, it’s taking care of your body and mind. Self-care is key.

Williams’ fans were here for this photo and words of wisdom, as evidenced in the comments. “My first thought before I saw the caption was, ‘WOW SHE LOOKS INCREDIBLE.’ Still picture perfect no matter what!” one fan commented. Most of the other comments shared how gorgeous they thought she looked and how she was fabulous and beautiful.

And one astute fan commented on how great her baby seemed to be doing with this confident mama. “Adira looks relaxed on that body… She is the boss for now,” said another. 

She’s inspiring not just moms, but older women as well, because a 77-year-old commented, “Thank you for inspiring me at 77 years old to know I’m doing it right by loving myself & spreading my love to others.”

This gorgeous photo was taken just six months after giving birth to her daughter, and at 42 years old, Williams looks just as much of a queen and goddess as ever.