Celebrity sisters Venus and Serena Williams aren’t simply in-sync on the tennis courtroom, they’re additionally fiercely loyal to one another in terms of actual life—and defending any unfavourable remarks that could be thrown their approach.

“Serena has been by rather a lot due to her physique,” Venus shared final week at New York’s Nike headquarters. The tennis icon was a part of a panel celebrating the launch of Dove’s new partnership with Nike, the Physique Assured Sport teaching program. “And her physique is a chiseled, god-made physique—the craziest physique to hit planet Earth!”

Co-developed by the 2 manufacturers over the course of two years and in partnership with world-renowned consultants—together with the Centre for Look Analysis and the Tucker Middle for Analysis on Women & Ladies in Sport—the marketing campaign addresses new findings on how the sports activities surroundings impacts women’ physique confidence and shallowness.

One startling stat: Within the U.S., 48 % of women who drop out of sports activities had been informed they don’t have the precise physique, whereas 56 % had been objectified or judged on their bodily look.

Working in partnership with Dove, the tennis champion and entrepreneur burdened the message on an even bigger scale as properly: “In sports activities, women usually face an incredible quantity of strain—not simply round efficiency and talents, but in addition due to unrealistic expectations round their appearances. I’m excited to be working with Dove on this initiative to assist nurture women’ self-belief and confidence, foster a constructive surroundings, and shift the dialog from look to functionality. Our shared objective is to make sports activities a extra inclusive, welcoming area for ladies all over the place.”  

William was additionally fast to credit score her mother for serving to instill confidence in her personal profession: “I had sturdy position fashions in my dad and mom—particularly my mother. She all the time mentioned, ‘Don’t ever let anybody let you know what to put on.’ The identical went for anybody telling you tips on how to really feel and tips on how to assume; I had an awesome alternative rising as much as embrace that.”