Jezebel 
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New York, 4:09 AM
Mon Nov 30
18 posts in the last 24 hours
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08/21/09
What a refreshing thing to read. I am so impressed, mostly because I am a total wimp and I cannot fathom having this kind of strength.
08/21/09
08/21/09
Unless you think any physical, full contact competition that involves people of both sexes blurs the line between domestic abuse and sport. Which is a thought process that I can't even comprehend, frankly.
08/21/09
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08/21/09
My boxing gym is the most welcoming place I've ever 'worked out'. It's a real boxing gym, complete with spitoons.
I have never been so encouraged -- either by my trainers or by the clientelle. I do not feel self-conscious because of my weight. I do not feel looked down upon because I'm not training for the golden gloves. There is respect all around.
Good for them. If they love to box, box.
08/21/09
08/21/09
WARNING: This is not a land of flully post-workout towels.
08/17/09
Then again Cyborg took on Hitomi with like a 15lb weight advantage so neither one is innocent there.
08/17/09
My wrestling coach mentioned that it's easier to teach women about wrestling because they think their movements through and not just try to out muscle their opponents like how some guys would.
08/17/09
08/17/09
I understand, if you're against all fighting sports in general, being against this, but if you're not, the fight I saw, and the commentary of the fight, was very not sexist, and I was hopeful for the women in the sport.
08/17/09
08/17/09
Thank you, Dodai. There is so much more beyond that. And a whole bunch of people don't know/get that.
08/17/09
08/17/09
Also - a BJJ warm up with the right crew will make you feel like the least in shape person in the world. I say from personal experience.
08/17/09
Carano's quote really resonates with me, and I think it should resonate with any woman who steps over from the traditionally female-dominated cardio machines and into the weight rooms. I always get a combination of "Whathefuck is she doing?" and "Oh yeah, wanna fuck that slut" looks. (Not that I don't love me some cardio, it's just a lot of women shy away from lifting weights/using machines because it's 99% men there and they can be intimidating)
08/17/09
It's true that female athletes are often sexualized or exploited for their bodies in magazine shoots and advertising. But if the end result is that more women participate in combat sports, or sports in general, and begin to see their own bodies as more than just decoration (or worse, something to fight or be ashamed of), all the better.
08/17/09
Gina was a gracious loser and Cyborg was a dominant competitor and athlete. I hope to see much more of both of them in the future as women's MMA becomes more mainstream.
And Cyborg's joy after the fight and being carried on the shoulders of her husband (who also fights MMA) with her huge awesome smile was totally a treat.
08/17/09
08/17/09
Well, unless it's Heidi Pratt and Katy Perry...in which case, it should be a fight to the death. Hopefully mutual.
08/17/09
08/17/09
I guess when I think about it that only applies to boxing though. I frankly don't want to see anyone do this professional cage-match/ass-whooping stuff. Proper martial arts aren't meant to be exhibited in such a sensational fashion. You save all the violent killing moves for...you know, killing people.
08/17/09
08/17/09
And this is coming from a woman who can and WILL beat someone's ass if necessary - I don't think women have to be meek or docile - but in all the ass-beatings I have found it necessary to dole out I've never come to blows with another woman. And here we're talking about women beating on each other purely for sport. Personally, I am happy to leave that in the purview of men.
08/17/09
08/17/09
08/17/09
but I will say that female athletes are the tits in general, so g'on witcha bad self!
08/17/09
08/17/09
I think it's more a matter of not wanting to see women handled aggressively than not wanting to see a woman be aggressive. I just don't want to see a woman get hit in the face. By anybody.
On some level I worry about the implications of our society being desensitized to the sight of women being brutalized...
08/17/09
08/17/09
Good point. At the same time though, I wonder if a little girl watching these two kicking ass would feel more comfortable and confident walking into a gym or self-defense class as a young woman because of having someone to look up to like this. And I think anytime you give girls a strong (in the physical sense, as well as the mental) woman to emulate, that's a good thing.
08/17/09
I couldn't disagree more with this statement. How often have we seen "exposure" of female athletes take the form of layouts in mens magazines? Every time an Olympics approaches there are just tons of these types of editorials. The only "good" that does is in those womens wallets. It's actually demeaning to female athletes in general. And I know she was talking about something different here, but I hear people make this argument all the time and I just think its wrong.
08/17/09
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