Tennis icon Serena Williams appeared irked by the decor choice of an unnamed New York City hotel after she spotted a cotton plant in one of its hallways.
It’s unclear which hotel Williams was in, but the tennis legend was in the Big Apple on Thursday after promoting Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS/Nike launch the day prior.
The 43-year-old Williams recorded her walk down the hallway and spotted a table with a vase with some cotton plants sticking out.
Williams said in the video (posted to her Instagram story), ‘How do we feel about cotton as decoration? Personally, for me, it doesn’t feel great.’
She then decided to pick one of the balls off the plant and rubbed it around her fingers.
Williams then shuddered and put it back down, before likely going on with her day.
Serena Williams appeared put-off by a cotton plant in the hallway of her New York City hotel
Williams was in New York to promote a Nike collaboration with Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS brand
It’s not exactly clear why Williams reacted the way that she did to the seemingly innocuous plant.
One possible explanation could be cotton’s history in the United States, which is tied to the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Williams was a very vocal activist throughout her years on the tennis circuit and has continued that since she’s retired.
But cotton is likely something Williams comes across a lot in her post-tennis life as she’s grown her interests in the world of fashion, as evidenced by her appearance at this SKIMS/Nike event.
Williams is still tied to the ‘Swoosh’ – long after she played her final tennis match at the 2022 US Open.
