14 DAY TRIAL // The November issue of Self Magazine, out on newsstands on October 27, is all about female empowerment and learning that strong is the new beautiful. And there is no woman better for that than UFC champion and the current best fighter in the world Ronda Rousey.
Rousey is featured in the magazine with a gorgeous photospread and an interview on body acceptance, strength and fighting through adversity.
Ronda has the “body of a ninja”
As the magazine puts it, Ronda is nothing if not a fighter in every possible acceptance of the word. She’s been fighting since she was born, first to overcome her severe speech impediment that was the result of being deprived of oxygen at birth, then to overcome the loss of her father by suicide.
She was the girl who never went out on a date and who didn’t have many friends because she was training all the time. Even back then, Ronda knew that she wanted to be a “champion” and she considered no sacrifice big enough to get there.
As strong and determined as she is, Ronda too can be plagued by insecurity especially concerning her physical appearance. In recent years, she’s often been targeted by trolls criticizing her for “manly” body, and while today she knows better than to pay attention to them, she still has moments of self-doubt.
“In terms of looks, I feel like we’re given an impossible standard to live up to,” she says. Women shouldn’t strive to look “perfect,” whatever that definition might entail at any given moment. They should work towards achieving a healthy body. She’s already done it and it has amazing rewards.
“I’ve learned to appreciate all the forms it can take,” she says of her body. “I love feeling like I'm inhabiting the body of a ninja - like I could rob a liquor store with my bare hands if I wanted to - but I also like when I eat a little more, fill out and get a little bit curvier. I feel more feminine.”
Making a difference
In the same interview, Ronda says that her ultimate goal in life is to leave behind a legacy, that of a “champion,” without the need for anyone to add “female” in front of it.
She finds motivation for that in knowing that she’s the best in the world at what she does, and she obviously doesn’t care if people find her arrogant or cocky for saying that: she worked incredibly hard to be able to say it.
Embedded below is a video from the Self shoot, including 2 tips from Ronda on how to throw a proper punch, just in case. Self has more at the link in the first paragraph, including a video of what a workout session with Ronda at the gym looks like.
