from Cosmopolitan:
How Gaining 15 Pounds Made Fighter Ronda Rousey Feel More Beautiful
You don’t have to be into fighting to look up to Ronda Rousey. The undefeated UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion recently took home the ESPY for Best Female Athlete (beating out Serena Williams, skier Lindsey Vonn, and UConn basketball player Breanna Stewart) and Best Fighter — a category that included four male nominees.
If you don’t know Ronda’s moves from the ring, you might recognize the 28-year-old from The Expendables 3, Furious 7, or the Entourage movie (where she played herself). Cosmopolitan.com recently talked to Rousey about body image, her greatest fear, and what she likes to do in her downtime.
You said that you purposefully tried to gain weight and get out of your best fighting shape before stripping down to pose for the 2015 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. Why?
I felt like I was much too small for a magazine that is supposed to be celebrating the epitome of a woman. I wanted to be at my most feminine shape, and I don’t feel my most attractive at 135 pounds, which is the weight I fight at. At 150 pounds, I feel like I’m at my healthiest and my strongest and my most beautiful.
Considering the amazing shape you’re in, it’s hard to believe that you ever suffered from body image issues while you were growing up, but you did. What was that like for you?
I grew up as an athlete doing judo, so I didn’t really have a conventional, feminine body type. I grew up thinking that because my body type was uncommon [i.e., athletic], it was a bad thing. Now that I’m older, I’ve really begun to realize that I’m really proud that my body has developed for a purpose and not just to be looked at.
But to be honest, it took a lot of time to develop a healthier relationship with food and with my weight. My mind was backward. I thought I wanted my body to look a certain way so I could be happy. But it got to the point where I didn’t feel I looked good at 135 pounds, the weight that qualifies me for the weight class that I fight in. [Ed. note: Professional fighters like Ronda train crazy hard to “weigh into” the lowest possible weight class right before a competition. This permits them to go up against similar-size opponents, which increases their odds of winning.]
You’ve said that you want to show people the non-fighter side of you. What’s that side like? I don’t talk as much. I like to sit and listen to everything going on in the room, and I don’t move off the couch. My life is so active, and I’m fighting the whole day that I don’t have any aggressiveness or any energy outside of fighting. I’m the most chill couch potato you could ever meet. I just like to hang out with my dog and watch Planet Earth documentaries, play Taichi Panda [laughs]. I’m actually really lame, to be honest. I don’t party at all, and I’m pretty lame to hang out with.
You sound pretty docile — but have you ever used your punching powers outside the ring?
Yes, but not for a very long time. I’ve reached that point where if I hit anyone, I’m going to get sued.
Whole article link: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/q-and-a/a43932/ronda-rousey-interview/
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