Tennis star Naomi Osaka perfectly shuts down people who shamed her for taking bikini pictures

Being a woman in the public eye isn’t fun.

Sometimes it can feel like the entire world is looking at – and judging – you.

Which is what tennis ace Naomi Osaka experienced recently, after posting pictures of herself in a bikini online.

Turns out there’s a lot of misogynistic people out there.

Osaka revealed she’d been receiving comments on her photos, apparently instructing her not to jettison her ‘innocent image’ and telling her to be a ‘role model’.

One such comment, posted in response to a picture of Osaka posing in trainers, read:

I don't get why you would post half naked pics of yourself. Have some class... you don't need to do this.

Another social media user ‘reminded’ her that “You once [said] after a match that you wanted to be a good role model for young[sters]. So keep up with that spirit”.

However, Osaka was having none of the shaming and hit back in a Twitter post.

“I just wanna say it’s creeping me out how many people are commenting @ me to maintain my “innocent image” and “don’t try to be someone your [sic] not”’ she wrote.

“You don’t know me, I’m 22, I wear swimsuits to the pool. Why do you feel like you can comment on what I can wear?”

She’s received plenty of support from others, who praised the way she shut-down the swimsuit shamers.

“I’m so over the double standards society place on women”, wrote one person responding to Osaka’s post.

“She literally uploaded a photo in a swimsuit showing off her sneakers. What’s even worse is that it’s mostly men that have something negative to say in the comments”.

There was also analysis of the parasocial relationship fans develop with sports stars.

Others put it even more directly.

Basically: don’t like it? Don’t look.