What Can You Say about Ronda Rousey?

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Samone (1): Pressure. Pressure as a woman, as a professional, and as a human being is thrown around every single day. Woman work ten times harder to be looked at as even half of what men are. More blood, sweat, and tears go into their daily activities than people can even fathom, all in effort to gain respect and be looked at as equal to men.

We look at celebrity women and wish to be in their shoes, wondering how they got to where they are now and wondering how we can be in that same position. Take Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey, for example, 12 time MMA winner, 1 time loser in more recent, more prominent news, took the biggest hit of her career by Holly Holm just last month on November 14, 2015 – humiliation, uncertainty and negativity surround her in more ways than one at this point. Everyone wants to continuously ask, “what’s next to come for her career?” Will she ever fight again? Will she come back better than ever? Will this devastating blow be the deciding factor for not only her career, but her future as well? The biggest question I seem to ask is, does anything of that even matter? She has made a huge impact for not only women in MMA and UFC but for all women – granting them a confident role model to look up to.

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Ali (2): Ronda Rousey made a huge impact for herself and others in the MMA. She has broken down many barriers for women in sports, helping to make them equal to men.  There are many men that have begun to watch Ronda fight without every addressing that she is a woman, but a great fighter.  She made efforts to help women be viewed as more than dainty, submissive women.  Ronda Rousey made great strides in less than a year becoming an undefeated champion and was cast in many movies and a strong woman.  She became popular with more than just the fans of the MMA and UFC. When she was defeated by Holly Holm on November 14 of this year, people that did not even watch the MMA knew about her loss. She has been able to make such a name for herself outside of the MMA.  For Ronda Rousey, her big loss could change her career tremendously.

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Samone (3): Yes, Rousey is certainly viewed as one of the women in the spotlight who have made women be looked at as more than just submissive creatures. Dating all the way back to the times of Charles Darwin and his opinion, women have been taught that they are inferior to men. Darwin concluded that adult females of most species resembled the young of both sexes and from this and the other evidence, ” he came to reason that males are more evolutionary advanced than females.”

Let’s point out a big issue that seems to frighten many men: Feminism. Feminist. What do the two words mean?  Take a look at what Beyonce had to say about the stigma of women in an excerpt from her song “Flawless” which was released in 2014.

“We teach girls to shrink themselves
To make themselves smaller
We say to girls
“You can have ambition
But not too much
You should aim to be successful
But not too successful
Otherwise you will threaten the man”

Men have always been looked at as the superior gender, and when females hold high positions of power the man feels as if something needs to be done to stop these women. Certain women are stronger and empowered simply in the fact that are just a woman – this is where feminism comes in at. Taking pride in being a woman, they do things that are considered “risque.”

Females like Beyonce and Ronda Rousey push the envelope, doing things that some women would never dare to do – ultimately, making them seem fearless. These celebrity females  set an example for not only younger girls, but also women who are their age as well. Perfection is what most people see when looking at celebrity females, but we all have to remember that they are humans too… just like us. They fall, they get back up. They fail, they keep trying. They take a loss, and they come back for an even bigger win – which is exactly what Ronda said she was going to do next. Ronda stated, ““Maybe I can’t do it all before my prime, before my body is done. But f*** it, maybe I can.” She says she’s down, but she is not out.

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Ali (4): Females in the spotlight are making great strides in breaking down barriers between men and women. They are able to influence people because they tend to be the best at what they do such as Beyonce and Ronda Rousey. Beyonce has been named the most popular musician of the twenty first century by The New Yorker music critics. Ronda is ranked #1 female bantamweight champion.  Both of these women have a large group of followers and fans which gives them an opportunity to make a difference among their followers. There are moments that can completely change an idol falls short of their title for example if Beyonce made a bad comment or when Rousey got beat.

Ronda Rousey lost her right to calling herself the best in the MMA, she lost her original trademark. Many followers began to mock her and enjoying her misery of her loss. But does that take away all of the hard work that she has accomplished? Why is it that because they lost a match, or failed at something they feel the need that they have to start from scratch. “I started acting while competing because I don’t want to have a point where I stop fighting and I have to start from scratch” said Ronda. It is almost as if she was giving herself a back up plan in case she failed. Ronda’s comments were made prior to her loss, but what has changed for her plans since her match. In an interview with ESPN, Ronda told them that she needed to fight Holly again to beat her. Now that Ronda has lost she has an even bigger urge to come back twice as strong. It is true that we set expectations for the people we see as idols or superwomen, but are quick to judge when they are not these fictitious characters. That is the reason why we idol these women such as Beyonce and Ronda, they can take the heat from everyone and still come back to prove them all wrong.

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Samone (5): We talk about these women being role models, and we talk about them being fearless but we have to acknowledge just exactly what is is that makes them fearless – their  attitude. Whether it’s sweet and innocent or badass and carefree, one’s attitude plays a big role in their persona and the way they carry themselves. Ronda Rousey doesn’t care too much about what others think of her. She is the type of person that is secure within herself therefore what an outsider’s  thinks does not really have much of an effect on her.

“I have this one term for the kind of woman that my mother raised me to not be and I call it a ‘do-nothing bitch.’ The kind of chick that just, like, tries to be pretty and be taken care of by somebody else. That’s why I think it’s hilarious, like, that people like say that my body looks masculine or something like that. I’m just like, listen, just because my body was developed for a purpose other than fucking millionaires doesn’t mean it’s masculine. I think it’s femininely badass as fuck. Because there’s not a single muscle on my body that isn’t for a purpose. Because I’m not a do-nothing bitch.”

One specific thing about Rousey that some love and others love to hate is her ability to speak her mind even without thinking at times. She is not afraid to say what she feels and she does not spare the feelings of anyone out there. Many people do not like aspect of Rousey. In an article published on themarysue.com, Teresa Jusino says “Rousey is a hypocrite who flouts gender norms when it suits her, but throws women under the bus when it doesn’t. I can no longer respect her big talk about body positivity and being persistent and not being a “Do Nothin’ Bitch” when she’s unwilling to afford trans athletes that same respect. No matter how many belts she wins.” Darin Harvey, Rousey’s former manager, gave the credit of the loss to Karma and not Holly Holm. On his Instagram he posted a picture that stated “KARMA. No need for revenge. Just sit back & wait. Those who hurt you will eventually screw up themselves & if you’re lucky, GOD will let you watch.” He later went on to state in an interview  that, “She is not a good person.” Donald Trump, one of the most controversial and hated people in the limelight, didn’t even have anything good to say about Rousey the night she lost the fight.

So does this attitude still make her a figure to be looked up to? It all just depends on the type of person one wants to be like. If a careless, fearless, and unstoppable figure is something you want to look up to, then Ronda is your girl. With all the hate she gets, she still gets just as much love from her loyal fans.

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Ali (6): Ronda was making great headway for women in sports; she is loved by many, but also disliked by just as many people.  What makes Ronda Rousey so popular? Even though she was unsportsmanlike prior to her match and was defeated by Holly Holms, she still retains her fame.

The media about the fight is all about Ronda’s reaction to the fight and what will be next for her. There is very little media coverage about Holly Holm compared to Rousey’s.

Ronda Rousey is well known for her spicy attitude and her refusal to join mainstream feminism. Ronda has a different stance on women equality in sports. She does not feel that women just deserve equality, such as equal pay, but feels that they should earn it. People seem to love that Ronda is not afraid to speak her mind about others and her pitbull persona. Ronda Rousey is well aware that there are people that do not like her, but its how she handles it that makes her more popular. She does not care for people to like her but to have people care for what she is doing.  This is a major reason why she has been so successful and has gained so much attention in what is considered a male dominated sport.

Holly Holm’s seems to have a bit of a softer side. Her nickname “the preachers daughter” explains a lot about the passionate and grateful personality she has. Although Holm’s is gaining attention in the media, there is not much of a chance that she will take draw as much attention to the MMA as Rousey did.

Ronda Rousey’s upset of her title is continuing to make headlines. Although she is well known for her harsh attitude, there are many supporters that were unlikely to stand up for her such as Floyd Mayweather. Ronda Rousey has made name for herself and is not afraid stand by it. The love that Ronda receives from her fans comes from her lack of giving up even when she has been knocked down.

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Samone (7): Everyone wants to know what is next to come for Rousey’s career but with an attitude like her’s, we can all count on the fact that she will not stay down for long. Holm, “the preacher’s daughter,” took home a little bit of fame for her name but Rousey still remains the winner in some people’s eyes. Half of the world is banking on Rousey never fighting again, but I don’t think that’s her style – she didn’t earn the nickname “Rowdy” for no reason. The other half of the world is putting their money on the fact that she will come back better than ever, swinging ten times harder. Conversations about a rematch are in the air, and with everyone waiting around to see if it happens fans will get a little impatient. July 2016 seems like a long time from now but in UFC terms, it’s not. Given Rousey ample amount of time to heal from her condition, the rematch may come quicker than most fans expect.

Whether she fights again or not, her life must go on. Ronda Rousey has a brand, an image, and reputation – what’s next to come for those things? David Schwab, a managing director of Octagon First Call, a sports and entertainment marketing agency said, “Her appeal was, ‘I am the toughest women in the world, I am the toughest in my sport.’ When you lose you lose that, you lose marketability.” Does everyone feel this way? Ben Sturner, founder and CEO of sports and entertainment marketing firm Leverage Agency, had a different opinion. He feels that Rousey’s mainstream appeal strengthens just how powerful her brand is. She states, “Ronda’s very unique where she crosses over from her sport to pop culture. Just because she loses a match, doesn’t mean people will turn against her.” If you ask me, I would have to agree with Sturner. There are still plenty of people counting on Rousey simply because of the image she has made for herself. Every athlete takes a loss every now and again, but the best ones come back better than ever – that’s what makes someone a true athlete. You lose and you bounce back. You bounce back and you keep going.

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Ali (8): It is amazing sometimes how we can underestimate the strength a women has, and how much she can take. Not only speaking from a woman, but I applaud how Rousey can pick herself up so quickly.

Ronda Rousey has taken a lot of heat from everyone because she lost a fight. Memes starting popping up everywhere, people felt that she deserved to lose, people were quick to attack her, even people in the media.

Even though she has lost she has continued to be a fighter through all of the publicity. Sometimes people forget that these people are humans, and they still have feelings. Imagine being in their shoes and taking that kind of negative over one small event that happened in their life.

An expectation is set for people that are in the spotlight; that they are perfect and have no flaws.  So Ronda Rousey lost a fight, does this mean she is no longer a great fighter? Even though she has achieved so much, people feel that her career is over because she lost. Beyonce has always been perceived as perfect, but there are headlines about her when she is caught photo shopping her Instagram picture. Perfection is such a high standard to give people, especially when their whole life is in the spotlight. Ronda Rousey is a human being that has had a successful career this far, has had a major upturn in her career and has bee able to take a lot heat from the media and those that choose to speak negatively about her. All because Ronda Rousey is no longer a perfect, undefeated fighter. Well, perfection is in the eye of the beholder, everyone has a different opinion of what perfection is and how it is used to define ourselves. Ronda Rousey is an amazing woman that demonstrates how not to give up even though the world is fighting against her. She is someone to look up to; a fighter in and out of the ring.

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