Fighter Ronda Rousey Knocks Out Critics Who Call Her Masculine

Fighter Ronda Rousey Knocks Out Critics Who Call Her Masculine

Ronda Rousey has two major goals: retire from mixed martial arts undefeated and never become what she calls a “do-nothing bitch.”

A “DNB,” as Rousey described it during an interview with the UFC series Embedded, is “the kind of chick that just tries to be pretty and be taken care of by someone else.”

Part of being the opposite of a DNB means that her body is shaped for competition, not male consumption. “I think it’s hilarious if someone says my body looks masculine or something like that,” Rousey said. “Just because my body was developed for a purpose other than f---ing millionaires doesn’t mean it’s masculine.”

The reigning bantamweight champion has proved that her muscled frame leads to success. She boasts an 11–0 record, often dominating her opponents in a matter of seconds, and is expected to win her match against Bethe Correia in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night. Her success in the male-dominated sport has led to comparisons to champion fighters like Mike Tyson, and she’s widely regarded as today’s best fighter regardless of gender. Earlier this month, Rousey won the ESPY Award for best fighter—beating out four men in the process.

Yet, all that success hasn’t stopped media outlets and Twitter users from calling her “massive” or saying that she “looks like a man.” Even when a woman is the best in the world, she’s still confronted with jabs about her abilities, not her skill. Fightstate, an outlet devoted entirely to news about professional combat sports, titled an article “Ronda Rousey Is Freaking HUUGE,” comparing her to a linebacker and contemplating when she appears “most massive.” Fightstate backtracked a little Friday, admitting that Rousey’s interview with Embedded likely alluded to its offensive article and that she had a point, but it didn’t apologize for commenting on her body. 

Rousey is hardly the first female athlete to have her body compared to a man’s because of muscle tone. Her opponent on Saturday, Correia, has been the subject of similar insults, as has tennis star Serena Williams.

Not only do these comments reflect the undue pressure on female athletes to simultaneously remain strong enough to compete and stay slender, but they imply that muscles are inherently masculine.

“I think it’s femininely badass as f---,” Rousey said. “There isn’t a muscle in my body that isn’t developed for a purpose.”

Watch the full Embedded interview below. 

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Original article from TakePart