Athlete-turned-entrepreneur Serena Williams graced the cover of the fashion magazine ESSENCE, but her looks have met divided opinions after seeing her with "lighter" skin.

Recently. the 23-time Grand Slam winner and most outstanding tennis player of all time was chosen as the cover girl for the lifestyle magazine's November/December issue.

She rocked a flawless get-up with skin-like makeup and a long, blond wig in her cover photo. Although Serena Williams is already in her 40s, she looks as youthful as ever, and she is also teasing at the various bold concepts she did for the pictorial in an Instagram reel.

After retiring as an athlete, Williams pursued Serena Ventures, where she invested in multiple companies with underrepresented founders. Among 85 companies, 14 were successful with $1B-worth values.

This time, she delves deeper into the beauty realm by launching her cosmetics line, WYN Beauty. All products offered here are under $30, cruelty-free, and vegan.

Wearing the same makeup products from her brand, Serena wrote:

"From investing in women and diversity with my VC company Serena Ventures to having my active makeup line that lasts all day and is clean and vegan, I love being a businesswoman. I told you I was not going anywhere; I was just evolving."

While she continues to win in life, having critics and haters became inevitable, and the iconic athlete is not safe from this.

READ ALSO: Serena Williams Opens Up About ‘Tummy’ Skin Tightening Procedure and Embracing Birthing Scars

Going to her Instagram comments, a lot of comments are questioning her complexion, which significantly became lighter, leading to an accusation that she's bleaching her skin.

• "Who is that white woman?"
• "Why does she look so light?"
• "Girl you done turned into a whole white women before my eyes and you think I want to join you."

On the flip side, her fans defended her and wrote:

"I remember you all came for Megan Good when she popped out a lighter and accused her of bleaching. She had to aht aht aht and tell yall she got a chemical peel.

Serena doesn't play in the sun anymore and skincare has come a long way since 2003. Everybody needs to take several seats and try something other than clean and clear."

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