Love and romance have thrown up all sorts of cliches over the years. Sayings such as ‘women should be seen and not heard,’ or descriptions of ‘the fair sex’ have played into a popular narrative that women are, indeed, the ‘weaker sex,’ by implication, submissive and easily dominated. In the real world, of course, all these attitudes reveal is an astounding level of ignorance.
An apt way to illustrate just how wrong these preconceptions are is to consider the fascinating and exciting world of professional female wrestling.
Are there any differences between female and male wrestling?
There is no great disparity in fighting styles between the genders. The main difference is down to attitudes. If sexism and discrimination are still prevalent in society as a whole, you can imagine they are even more institutionalized in sports that have traditionally been seen as masculine. Looking back to the origins of wrestling in Ancient Greek and Roman times, even although wrestling formed an important part of the Olympic Games as far back as the 8th-century B.C., it was exclusively for males. The first female Olympic wrestling event? Athens. 2004.
Prejudices about female wrestlers
Why should certain segments of the male (and of the female) population look down their noses at wrestling as women’s inappropriate activity? Perhaps because it is one of the least feminines of activities? The sight of two opponents grappling, each determined to outwit the other through a series of potentially painful clinches and blows, sometimes creating bruises and drawing blood, somehow seems less acceptable when women do this. Again, this is a view that is so out of step with progressive aspects of the 21st-century. Women have proved they are equal to men in every walk of life. In the future, they may well walk on the Moon or even Mars! Right now, they can hold their own when it comes to any close-quarter contact sport.
Women fighting psychology
People of all genders have been fascinated by feuding females for years. You only have to look back at those classic MGM movies starring Joan Crawford and Bette Davis screen icons. They were full of catty insults, reflected the bitter rivalry between them in real life. This sense of non-feminine rage has evolved into modern film comedies, such as Mean Girls, where the female stars delight in trying to do each other better. Fans of US television’s The Jerry Springer Show would whoop with delight every time female contestants ended up grappling on the studio floor. You only have to watch kids playing in a playground to realize the girls are just as capable of fighting their corner as they lads. Sometimes, even more so. (And let’s not go down the route of comparisons with what female praying mantises get up to when they wrestle with their partners. Let’s say they develop a strong appetite for whatever happens to be in the vicinity after getting jiggy!)
Seriously though, there is little to differentiate between the psychology of female wrestlers from their male counterparts. Modern women relish having long reclaimed many of the previously denied qualities in a patriarchal society where male dominance has insisted that it’s only natural that deities are usually He, not She!
Five famous female Wrestlers
This list prepared by grindr review site includes five women who defy stereotypes of frail females who rely on their looks and sex appeal to get by. This is a quintet of tough, strong, and supremely talented. Any guy daring to clamber into the ring to face one of these feisty vixens would soon discover the error of his ways.
Manami Toyota
From Japan, Toyota is the perfect example of a strong female, regarded as one of the world’s greatest-ever wrestlers of any gender. Lightning-quick at moves and tagging, she has accumulated an impressive CV of accomplishments and trophies.
Trish Stratus
As well as being a fitness coach, Canadian Stratus is a popular superstar of WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. As well as being a supremely-skilled wrestler, she runs her yoga studio.
Awesome Kong/Kharma
Performing for WWE under the pseudonym Kharma, Californian-born Kong turned professional in 2002. Since then, her fearsome technique has featured in the hit TV series GLOW, where she played a wrestler known as ‘The Welfare Queen.’
Lita
Heavily-tattooed Lita, hailing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014. Retiring from the ring in 2006, the now fronts punk rock band The Luchagors.
Sasha Banks
Another talented wrestler contracted to WWE, Banks, is a member of their SmackDown brand. She was named the world’s ‘top black wrestler’ in a list recognized by Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine.
