I saw an interesting Tweet from WWE's Lana tonight. She stated that WWE Divas are rolemodels for young girls. In a way, I agree. Nothing in pro-wrestling is handed to anyone, it's all earned. WWE is a billion dollar conglomerate, the biggest stage in the wrestling world. Very few ever make it and even fewer get to the top. So in that respect, achieving a dream is something to work hard at and strive for.
But at the same time, look at the bigger picture. WWE Divas all fit a bodytype. Athletic, pretty and I don't think there's a Diva on the roster that's below a C-Cup. I'm not here to knock them for their fake tits, skimpy ring attire or anything pertaining to their looks. That's what the business wants. American wrestling has always been about people who have "the look". Screw talent, as long as they look good on TV... What about the girls who can't look like that? That have all the ability, but that don't want fake tits or other surgery?
Then look at how much TV time they get. Yes, there are less women involved, but there are a good 10+ women on the roster and they seem to trot out the same 4-5 every week. If that's not bad enough, they're lucky to have 2 womens matches (usually there's just one) between 5 hours of mainstream TV every week and they're usually the shortest of the show.
So what are you telling girls, really? Work your little heart out and destroy your body to be a second rate afterthought for 5 minutes a week. Modify your body to be eye candy for men and be made out to look like a catty bitch in some cliched storyline. Some dream.
I have slightly more respect for Impact Wrestling who gives them more freedom, time and has actual wrestlers like Awesome Kong and Gail Kim to go along with the titty show. Although, the titty show is starting to overwhelm that promotion, too.
I'm not gonna draw comparisons to Japan, because there aren't any. Joshi (Ladies/Womens) Puroresu is actually about women who have ability and don't need fake tits or skimpy costumes to get ahead. They talk with what they do in the ring, oftentimes OUTDOING their male counterparts. They have their own promotions and dojos that seldom see foreign trainees because of how hard the training is.
In the 1980s, Chigusa Nagayo and Lioness Asuka formed a tag team called The Crush Gals. These two women with butch haircuts and the bodies of FIGHTERS (lesbians, both) inspired a generation of young women to become senshu (fighters), so much so that the AJW (All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling) dojo couldn't handle the volume of potential students. After them, it was Manami Toyota, Akira Hokuto, and many more. THOSE are rolemodels that didn't sell themselves short or use their bodies to get ahead.
Rei~
But at the same time, look at the bigger picture. WWE Divas all fit a bodytype. Athletic, pretty and I don't think there's a Diva on the roster that's below a C-Cup. I'm not here to knock them for their fake tits, skimpy ring attire or anything pertaining to their looks. That's what the business wants. American wrestling has always been about people who have "the look". Screw talent, as long as they look good on TV... What about the girls who can't look like that? That have all the ability, but that don't want fake tits or other surgery?
Then look at how much TV time they get. Yes, there are less women involved, but there are a good 10+ women on the roster and they seem to trot out the same 4-5 every week. If that's not bad enough, they're lucky to have 2 womens matches (usually there's just one) between 5 hours of mainstream TV every week and they're usually the shortest of the show.
So what are you telling girls, really? Work your little heart out and destroy your body to be a second rate afterthought for 5 minutes a week. Modify your body to be eye candy for men and be made out to look like a catty bitch in some cliched storyline. Some dream.
I have slightly more respect for Impact Wrestling who gives them more freedom, time and has actual wrestlers like Awesome Kong and Gail Kim to go along with the titty show. Although, the titty show is starting to overwhelm that promotion, too.
I'm not gonna draw comparisons to Japan, because there aren't any. Joshi (Ladies/Womens) Puroresu is actually about women who have ability and don't need fake tits or skimpy costumes to get ahead. They talk with what they do in the ring, oftentimes OUTDOING their male counterparts. They have their own promotions and dojos that seldom see foreign trainees because of how hard the training is.
In the 1980s, Chigusa Nagayo and Lioness Asuka formed a tag team called The Crush Gals. These two women with butch haircuts and the bodies of FIGHTERS (lesbians, both) inspired a generation of young women to become senshu (fighters), so much so that the AJW (All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling) dojo couldn't handle the volume of potential students. After them, it was Manami Toyota, Akira Hokuto, and many more. THOSE are rolemodels that didn't sell themselves short or use their bodies to get ahead.
Rei~
Very insightful. I agree with all of it. I'm not into pro wrestling, but that makes no difference. Your points are valid across a wide spectrum. Thank you for writing about this, darling. More people need to wake the fuck up. <3
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