Rousey fights to set good example

There is no denying that the name Ronda Rousey is one that carries a significant amount of clout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship ring. The American mixed martial artist and judoka has made a quick rise in the past few years.

Rousey is a muscular, five foot seven inch, 135-pound ball of fury when she is in the ring, but her personality in and outside of the ring is nothing short of expressive. Before a fight she will scowl at her opponent with a mean penetrating glare, but outside of fighting you can see her smiling so hard that her squinting eyes almost disappear. And although she has the aura of a hardened ‘tough girl’ she will be the first to admit that she cries, a lot.

However, none of Rousey’s varying facial expressions include physical blemishes, even after fights.

“Somebody told me once that it’s the pretty fighters you have to watch out for. If someone’s all gnarled and mangled up, obviously they’ve been getting hit a lot,” Rousey said in an interview with The New Yorker.

However, life wasn’t always all smiles for the renowned mixed martial artist. According to an article in the Rolling Stone, at age 16, Rousey was ranked as the number one judo fighter in America. She lived in Wakefield, Massachusetts, to train for the Olympics, but dropped out of high school and earned her GED as she traveled frequently to fulfill life as a full-time judoka.

Rousey has admitted publicly that these were not happy times in her life and she struggled with personal issues. She had a naturally thick and muscular body and she became bulimic in a desperate struggle to qualify for the 63 kilogram weight class (139-pounds).

In the same article with The New Yorker, Rousey also said, “Whenever people talk about how cocky and arrogant I am, it blows me away, because I worked so hard to develop self-confidence.”

Rousey has come a long way since her bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the funk she was in previous to earning the medal. Recently she  was photographed for Maxim and she arrived to the photo shoot 16 pounds over her fighting weight because she thinks that her body looks healthier at the heavier weight than at her fighting weight and didn’t want to glamorize her body when it looked unhealthy.

Rousey has embraced the fact that she has a muscular body, and has overcome her self-esteem issues.According to Fox 8 Cleveland, Rousey has become an advocate for body image, and has donated money to help girls overcome eating disorders.

Fighting and Rousey’s desire to be an inspiration to other female athletes was one of the reasons that she was able to end her bulimia, and she credits the way that UFC fighting made her feel both strong and happy as the light at the end of her dark tunnel. Rousey admits that she has always had body confidence issues, but the key was learning to embrace her body instead of hating it.

This is an important phrase that every girl can take to heart. To my knowledge, there is not a single woman out there that has not stood in front of the mirror naked, and criticized her body in some way, shape or form. I am no exception.

However, each and every body was created the way it was for a specific reason, and every body is unique.

The problem with the media today is that they try to peg skinny models and actresses as being perfect, and to be frank, that is unfair.

College is the perfect place for women to come to terms with their bodies because it is a time when they change A LOT. Trust me when I say this, because I have experienced it first hand.

I went home this summer and found my senior prom dress hanging in my closet. Out of curiosity, I pulled it out of the bag and tried it on to see if it would still fit. To my dismay, I had a hard time pulling the single shoulder strap on, and when I tried to zip it, I got the zipper pulled only two inches before it refused to budge. TWO INCHES…of a nine or 10 inch zipper. I felt pathetic.

However, I had no option but to become comfortable with the fact that my body had in fact changed, and there was no going back. I know that I am not the only one who has experienced stark changes in physique, but I have only one piece of advice to offer: Be comfortable in the skin you are in.

People around you can tell when you have confidence in your body, and it will get you further in life when you come to terms with your appearances and work on the inside. Not only that, but put your appearances aside and see what you can do for people around you instead of focusing on your insecurities.

Ronda Rousey’s mother gave her a piece of advice that emulates the message that body positivity sends.

“It’s not your purpose in life to be happy, it’s your purpose in life to leave the world better than how you found it.”