Tennis legend Serena Williams has thrown her support behind an iconic Australian breast cancer awareness campaign, and it involves the new mum stretching her vocal chords.
The 36-year-old has got on board with the ‘I Touch Myself’ project, named after the song by Aussie rock band the Divinyls. The project started after the lead singer of the band, Chrissy Amphlett, passed away from breast cancer in 2013.
In a preview for the campaign, Serena appears naked and sings the lyrics to the 1990 hit.
The powerful preview clip features Serena singing the line: “I love myself, I want you to love me”.
The tennis star’s croon has rarely been heard in public, with Serena telling The Project that singing isn’t a defining quality of hers.
“Honestly, I would definitely not classify myself as a singer, but Chrissy and The Divinyls were amazing,” she said.
Watch the full clip below:
Serena said she felt compelled to support the campaign to encourage women to check up on themselves.
“Chrissy’s voice is just spectacular, you know, and for me it was [an] unbelievable cause and unfortunately we lost Chrissy to breast cancer but the ‘I Touch Myself’ song was to let everyone know that it’s important to touch yourself and check up on yourself.”
“It’s putting myself in a very vulnerable moment but just to make a huge statement I think is really important.”
Serena recently spoke to Lisa Wilkinson about her involvement in the campaign.
Some well-known faces in Australia have previously been involved in the same campaign, including Olivia Newton John.
Amphlett herself was a big advocate for spreading awareness for early detection, specifically wanting the song ‘I Touch Myself’ to be the anthem for the campaign.
Serena is also promoting a snakeskin-printed bra called The Chrissy, which was designed by Berlei. All proceeds from the sales of the undergarment will go towards the Breast Cancer Network Australia.
Olivia Newton John has also featured in the ‘I Touch Myself’ campaign.
Last year, Serena appeared in another campaign video for Berlei during her final stage of her pregnancy with daughter Alexis Olympia, which was aimed at encouraging the next generation to truly invest in themselves.
In the video, she says: “Regardless of whether I have a daughter or not, my hope and Berlei’s hope for the next 100 years of women is they start their journey with self-belief and the confidence to self-invest, self-prioritise and self-nurture.”
Watch the full video below:
Serena is known to be outspoken on important topics, often using fashion to spread her message. She recently wore a tutu-inspired dress at the US Open by Off White designer Virgil Abloh and Nike.
The mum-of-one made a powerful feminine statement in the ensemble, especially following the recent controversy surrounding a black catsuit she wore during the French Open earlier in the year.
