The cartoon of Serena Williams is the latest in a long line of harmful caricatures of black women

Today we woke up to yet more disappointing, racist imagery of Serena Williams. In this toon, published in the Herald Sun, Mark Knight’s caricature of Williams portrays one of the greatest athletes of our times as a tantrum-throwing child who is upset because Naomi Osaka won't let her win. This presentation is made even more offensive against a backdrop of a now whitened, blonde Osaka (who is also a woman of colour). The toon encapsulates the hostile misogynoir Williams has endured for decades while playing this game. But while it is an imagery through which the tropes of racism and sexism can be unpacked, it also presents an opportunity to look at how double standards function to penalise “misbehaviours” from men and women differently.