Serena's First Wheaties Box Cover Will Make You Stand And Cheer
Serena Williams finally has the Wheaties box she’s always deserved
Forget Grand Slams and Olympic gold medals — we all know the true highest honor an athlete can receive is to be pictured on a Wheaties box. And finally, Serena Williams has achieved that.
OK, don’t forget Grand Slams (Serena has won 23) or gold medals (she’s won four). But seriously, the Wheaties box is a huge deal. Since 1958, the cereal has been featuring elite athletes on its packaging to coincide with its slogan, “The Breakfast of Champions.” There’s been a lot of history made with the athletes who have been featured, and Serena is no exception — she’s just the second black female tennis player to make it onto a box.
“In 2001, Wheaties paid homage to a true champion and an icon by putting her on the cover of a Wheaties Box. Althea Gibson was the FIRST Black Woman tennis player to be on the box,” Serena wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of her own box cover. “Today, I am honored to be the second.”
We can’t think of anyone more deserving of that honor.
In a General Mills blog post, Taylor Gessell, General Mills brand experience manager, explained how the company chose Serena Williams to cover the box.
“When we started to evaluate who our next athlete would be, we started to go through who we believe are the top athletes of our time,” Gessell said. “She continues to inspire and spark change to make us all better.”
That’s certainly true. Serena is an inspiration to women everywhere both on and off the court. While she dominates in her matches, she’s also an outspoken feminist who advocates for equal treatment for women in sports. And she’s killing it as a mom, proving what women already knew: That we can crush our careers and motherhood without skipping a beat.
“I have dreamt of this since I was a young woman and it’s an honor to join the ranks of some of America’s most decorated athletes,” Serena said on the General Mills blog. “I hope my image on this iconic box will inspire the next generation of girls and athletes to dream big.”
Serena’s Wheaties box will be available in the U.S. only, and it’s a limited edition that will only be available for the next month. If you want to grab one of these, you’ll have to hurry. And you want to grab one of these, for the inspiration alone.
