Serena Williams Criticizes NYC Hotel for Insensitive Cotton Display

On September 26, 2025, tennis superstar Serena Williams criticized a New York City hotel for decorating its hallway with cotton plants. As an African-American, Williams found the display deeply troubling due to cotton's dark history in the United States.

In a series of Instagram stories, Williams expressed her discomfort with the decoration, asking her followers, "How do we feel about cotton as decoration?" She went on to explain, "Personally, for me, it doesn't feel great." Williams then proceeded to interact with the cotton, describing it as feeling "like nail polish remover cotton" and visibly cringing as she touched the artificial plant.

The 44-year-old athlete's reaction stems from the fact that cotton was a major driver of the slave trade in the US. Enslaved Black people were forced to pick cotton under harsh conditions, with 95% of the country's African American population being enslaved in 1820. The expansion of cotton plantations led to an exponential growth in slavery during that period.

Williams, who was in New York City to support the launch of a collaboration between Kim Kardashian's Skims brand and Nike, felt compelled to speak out against the hotel's insensitive choice of decor. Her public criticism highlights the ongoing need for greater awareness and sensitivity around symbols that can be deeply hurtful to marginalized communities.