Ronda Rouseys Lesson On Imperfections Is What Every Female Needs To Read…

Ronda Rousey is best known as the kick-ass, world champion Mixed Martial Arts Fighter and Olympic Judo medalist. But what many people don’t know about Ronda, is that she’s had her fair share of insecurities throughout her life stemming from body issues, self-confidence and online bullies.

In an open and frank blog for refinery 29, Ronda, who is the star of Reebok’s new Perfect Never campaign, expressed her thoughts on society today and Womens quest for constant perfection:

“I scroll through my phone like everyone else. I see the world filtered and duckfaced like every other woman does. And sometimes I’m almost convinced that’s real.

But it’s not.

The curated lives we see every day are fake. The perfect angles, the perfect outfits, the perfect lighting. That’s not reality. What is real are imperfections. What builds character and toughness is struggle. What makes us better and more human is attempting something, coming up short, and then trying it again.”

The 29 year old athlete explained how focusing on being perfect ultimately distracts women to the point that their ‘bigger goals are sacrificed’, but admits that it’s hard for Women to just ignore the ‘perfection’ that’s all around them.

The former UFC bantamweight champion also recalled her childhood where she grew up in North Dakota and was a Tomboy. Ronda would wear a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt as dresses got in the way of running, jumping and playing outdoors with her siblings.

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Source: Ronda Rousey Instagram[/caption]

A few years later Ronda moved to LA and felt like a complete outsider because of her differences:

“My confidence sank faster than I care to admit. And like most girls, although women rarely talk about it, these feelings came to a boiling point when I stood in front of the mirror, looked at my changing body that I didn’t really recognize anymore, and cried.I wasn’t perfect, and I didn’t like it.
That’s when I found judo.”

When Ronda began learning Judo, things changed. Suddenly her confidence grew bit by bit as the sport forces you to have a partner , talk to each other and get thrown on your ass. Admitting she was far from perfect to begin with, after hours and hours of practicing, Ronda began to get good at judo and people started to notice. She thanks her journey into the sport for saving her from her confidence issues as a young Woman.

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Ronda won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, becoming the first American to win an Olympic medal in women’s judo since it was recognized as an Olympic sport in 1992.[/caption]

Ronda, who hasn’t fought since losing her Bantamweight belt to Holly Holm last November, recognises that it is struggle that ‘builds character and toughness’ and ultimately makes us better.

Although Ronda has created a successful career from something that saved her as a young Woman, she’s well aware that many Women ‘aren’t afforded that opportunity’.

Ronda ended her blog with urging Women to embrace their flaws and own them for who they are.

“Your flaws — your unsuccessful attempts at greatness or even mediocrity — are real. They make you better. And that’s beautiful because it’s never perfect.”

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Ronda graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2015 wearing nothing but body paint to prove that sexy can come in all shapes and sizes after online bullies criticised her athletic build.[/caption]

The MMA fighter recently celebrated her imperfections in a new campaign video for Reebok, which is a part of the brand’s ‘Be More Human’ movement. Ronda is seen going from a glam photoshoot to training in the gym in the #PerfectNever clip.

“Here’s the thing about being perfect — perfect never gets truly tested. Perfect never gets to silence its critics. Perfect never gets a shot at redemption, So yeah, I’m fine not being perfect.”

Setting the record straight in February, Ronda took to Instagram to share an edited and unedited photo of herself on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to apologize for accidentally sharing the Photoshopped version on her page. Ronda claimed she was totally oblivious that her arms had been altered to look smaller without her knowledge.

‘This goes against everything I believe and I am extremely proud of every inch of my body,’ she wrote.

In 2015, Ronda launched her DNB campaign which encouraged Women to chase their dreams and not to be a ‘do nothing bitch’. The represent campaign helped to support Women with mental health issues and also body shaming issues for young girls.

In a press release Ronda stated:

“There are a lot of unrealistic standards being put on everyone. I think it’s good to have examples out there who say, You know what, not everyone is always going to like you, but life will go on, you’ll be OK and you can still love yourself.”