Female combat, in cinema and print, has been around for ages. Whether it was a short battle interjected into a monochrome Hollywood movie in the 1920’s, a grainy, sepia stag film played after midnights in shady theaters, or a leaflet crammed into a sticky, teenage magazine, there has always been a desire for more female combat. Finding it proved to be difficult though.
Female Combat 101
A large majority of the public viewed female combat negatively, feeling women should behave with neat, tidy and proper mannerisms. This mindset involved controlling a perception of how a woman should present themselves, so there wasn't a lot of wiggle room to break out of a stereotype. Adversaries believed women engaged in various sorts of battling were demeaning and turned them into nameless objects of sexualized desire. It was labeled pornography, created to entertain a mostly male audience.
BTW – If you’ve read up to this point, your curiosity has been piqued, and you must read on!
THE CURRENT ISSUE
I have been a female wrestling fan for years. It has grown on a variety of platforms and generated a HUGE fan base that varies in ages and sexes. As social media outlets grew, female wrestling became more accessible from startup companies around the world wanting to get in on the rage. But that train has derailed quite a bit, so here is where I believe the problem exists, and YOU are the solution...
Female combat is running aground on creativity and vision.
Wrestling companies (not all) feature women in old, recycled kinds of female battle. Whether the videos are filled with women using over exaggerated expressions and dramatic, drawn-out moves, the audience is growing bored. Often the same old-same old ripping of clothes, hair pulling, head bashing, spanking and throwing objects has already been dredged through the ages. And to make the problem worse, the lack of enthusiasm behind and in front of the camera is lagging.
When people hear the words female battle, they often think of catfighting, which can be described like this; stomach churning, brutal, destructive, insulting, belittling, degrading, humiliating, and condescending. Throughout the growth of cinema, the entertainment business incorporated more female fighting into shows and movies, but again, chose to limit themselves with the same repetitive actions.
I must mention though there are still highly stimulating female wrestling sites to explore and support. There are sports like the WWE, MMA and various forms of martial arts where female athletes are multi-talented, respected individuals who exhibit exceptional athleticism and train hard to achieve incredible personal milestones.
Female wrestling, starting as early as high school now, has also exploded as a recognized, competitive sport that’s not only for men. It has been released from the etiquette shadows as a growing number of enthusiasts seek more. The craving from fans continues to spread as the phenomenon builds momentum in visible and acceptable ways, so I invite you to be a part of getting the train back on the tracks and celebrate the skills you may not even realize you possess. I welcome you to jump on as together we make female wrestling...
