‘GQ Woman of the Year’ cover of Serena Williams ignites controversy

GQ has named Serena Williams its '2018 Woman of the Year' but found itself in hot water for its cover that features the word ‘woman’ in quotes, which has drawn criticism.

This year, the magazine released four covers, one with Williams and three others with ‘Men of the Year’ Michael B. Jordan, Henry Golding and Jonah Hill. On Williams’ cover, she stands confidently in a long-sleeve black turtleneck bodysuit. In the typeface, the word ‘Men’ in ‘Men of the Year’ is crossed out, with the word ‘woman’ scripted in handwritten font in its place.

Putting the word ‘woman’ in quotes got some backlash, as Williams has spoken in the past about being called a man or not feminine enough by body-shamers because of her muscular frame.

The internationally-acclaimed men’s publication, understandably trying its best to appease a wider range of readers, picked the 37-year-old tennis champ as its Woman of the Year for 2018. But it didn’t sit well with a number of ardent Serena fans, who took to social media to tear into GQ for placing quotation marks around the word woman.

Um, why is Serena Williams referred to as a woman in quotes on this cover? @GQMagazine? pic.twitter.com/zwfqsDNAR6

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) November 12, 2018

@GQMagazine Please explain to me why GQ Magazine’s Editorial Team felt that quote marks were necessary on the Serena Williams’ Woman of the Year Cover. I Really Really Need to Know. I’m Expecting an Answer😡🙄🤷🏽‍♀️🤔👎🏾👎🏾👎🏾👎🏾👎🏾 pic.twitter.com/qGNPNJI4Rq

— Y•S•A•N•N•E (@YsanneBueno) November 13, 2018

So is #GQ implying that @serenawilliams is not a #Woman why they quoted the word “WOMAN” 😳 pic.twitter.com/DFjug1pvid

— TheRealMichelle (@Michiiboo01) November 13, 2018

The honor was last won by Gal Gadot in 2017, but she didn’t get any quotes around her picture.