Serena Williams: greatest athlete of all time, fashion entrepreneur, and pretty damn good singer.
In a new breast cancer awareness ad, Williams gives a somber rendition of The Divinyls’ 1990 hit “I Touch Myself.” The video is part of the I Touch Myself Project, an initiative launched in 2014 in honor of Divinyls front woman Chrissy Amphlett, who passed away from breast cancer the previous year.
Williams’s version, in the context of Breast Cancer Awareness month, completely flips the song’s original meaning, with added poignancy from the line, ” . . . think I would die if you were to ignore me,” which underscores the importance of self-examinations and early detection.
“Yes, this put me out of my comfort zone, but I wanted to do it because it’s an issue that affects all women of all colors, all around the world,” Williams said in an Instagram post. “Early detection is key–it saves so many lives. I just hope this helps to remind women of that.”