Dear Beauty and the Brawn

So here goes. The beginning of my love letter to you, you beautiful women who aren't afraid to look the part of a fighter. I grew up watching Xena, then moved onto Buffy. And as most young girls who idolized such strong, evil fighting females, I wondered if I would be able to be as ass kicking. So Buffy was a bit of a stretch, I'll admit. A tiny, blonde hero with virtually no muscle mass was able to take down the largest of foes. But shows like these intrigued me. And then I discovered female wrestlers.

At first, I saw a lot of women's storylines revolving around the men. I'd see the girls accompanying them to the ring, acting as arm candy. I'd waft in and out of the shows through the years, until I started catching women's matches. Real matches where they demonstrated they could pull off feats of athleticism and strength just as the men could. Women like Sable, Ivory, Lita, Trish Stratus, all these hot female wrestlers, with muscle to boot. Not afraid of "looking like the men" as many women seem to be afraid of when getting into shape. I don't think they looked like men at all. I was jealous that I had these skinny little arms, barely able to open a pickle jar!

So I guess as of late, as I really started watching these athletes - and that's what I consider them, athletes (yes, the matches are predetermined, and yes the industry can be very degrading and unfair in certain circumstances, and sometimes more models get through than wrestlers, but these women still put their necks out on the line to do what they do) - I started to really get interested and motivated to look the way they look.

I'm not saying I'm going to be the next WWE Diva, even though that would probably be an amazing ride, I'm just saying I'd like to get into the kind of shape that would enable me to lay someone out if need be.

So my challenge is to break free from this mold of the twiggy, in need of rescuing Rapunzel. I think this will be a good way to mark progress, and pay homage at the same time to you women who have the beauty and the brawn.