Mod Note: Can you explain why you posted pics of female martial artists with no names or descriptions about why they are your favorites? Do you even know the names of the women in these pictures? Or are you just using female martial artist pictures as some sort of fantasy pin-up? Non Mod question: Your name is Anna, but you say you love females doing martial arts like you are not one. May I ask your gender identity to help understand this thread?
Yes I'm a female too. I do judo and I'm a green belt in Judo! I want to promote females doing Martial Arts! The girls on the pictures are: Daria Bilodid, Judo black belt from Ukraine Daria Tulyakova, Karate black belt from Russia Melissa Bratic, Karate black belt from Canada Monika Stefanovska, Karate belt from Slovenia Greetings!
What is it that you admire about them? Why are they your favorites? It's just, frankly, really weird that a female martial artist would just post pics with no discussion about them, not even their names until asked. This is, after all, a discussion forum, not an Instagram page. So, what about these women is it that makes you a fan? Helpful hint. If you want to promote female martial artists, you need to talk about them, not just post pics with no names or discussion. Otherwise it gives the impression of some sort of weird fetishizing objectifying thing going on.
I wanted to attract some visual attention to my post. My personal favorite is Daria Bilodid from the Ukraine. She is very talented and wins almost all her matches. She is also very ladylike and beautiful. She is also quite successful as an influencer and business woman. She is a two times world champion and I will support her at the Olympics!
Martial Arts Babes | Martial Arts Planet Make this thread you started not look like this thread I linked.
You mean the one that got locked back in 2013 with this message from another mod? Advising a new member to follow in the footsteps in a locked thread is some really bad advice Ero.
I'm not sure you interpreted my post correctly. I am telling the OP to -NOT- make this thread look like that thread, which from its start looked like that was the OPs intent. Still kind of does to me. Really not sure how you got that I was telling the OP to start pushing this thread down the same road.
Ah ok. Got it. Thanks for clarifying. Yes, I was worried that the original intent of the Original thread starter was as you say. Glad I am not the only one that it seemed like that might be the case.
Anna. May I ask. and this is purely for curiosity what your nationality is? It might sedge-way into a interesting topic that needs to be discussed.
Ok that's interesting. Martial Arts Planet is forum that is based in the UK, ad as such much of its moderation and sensitivities have a modern Anglo-Saxon bent. In regards to the depiction of women they can be very sensitive to female martial artists being depicted with images that might emphasise their physical attractiveness and de-emphasising their actual skillsets and abilities. For example in my sport two physically attractive that sort of end up as pin-ups including in women's magazines are Olga Kharlan(ukraine/sabre) and Sylvia Gruchala (poland/foil). Both can be considered 'very ladylike and beautiful and successful as an influencers and business women'. But the problem is that younger women end up feeling they need to embody a particular image of success, rather than other images of success such as their prowess on the strip or in competition where they look less than perfect. One of my students developed an eating disorder over the lockdown period and its brought home to me just how pernicious unrealistic standards can be, and its something that has left me saddened and angry in equal measure. I don't mean to jump down your throat as I know that within different societies the tolerance for this dichotomy varies. Whenever I return to Italy I wince at how Italian media treats the images of its female athletes where their beauty is emphasised, probably I sign of how long I've lived in the UK. I've no idea where Germany sits on that spectrum. But in a society obsessed with outward appearances such as Italy many women see nothing wrong with it especially as even male athletes spend more as models in the media than athletes. In the UK tolerance for this can be low, hence the alarm bells your images rang to the moderators.
I think Anna has posted pics of women in their competitive gear and clearly knows who they are and why she admires them, good for you Anna On that basis let's continue the spirit of the thread. Here are three brilliant female competitors I had the great pleasure of interviewing many years ago, all of them role models in so many different ways and any one of them a person one could aspire to emulate. Bianca Walkden, Rosi Sexton, Jade Jones.
Jade Jones is criminally undervalued by the British media. One has to wonder how many more metric tonnes of gold she needs to win before she gets the fame she deserves.
No discussion of female martial artists would be complete without mentioning Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu. An absolute legend, currently on 250+ fights, training full time in Thailand and doing great things to keep the legacy of old fighter's from the golden age of Muay Thai (Dieselnoi, yodkhunpon, Sagat, etc) going. Also regularly comments on being a woman in the martial arts and some of the issues that may arise from that. If that's not badass enough she's nearly matching another Muay Thai legend, John Wayne Parr, on who's had the most stitches.
Someone I've had the "pleasure" of rolling with and training under (literally under most of the time!) many years ago is Helen Currie. First female BJJ blackbelt in the UK (from Chris Haueter, one of the original "dirty dozen") and a phenomenal martial artist.
Raising 2 daughters, I believe that exposing them to strong female role models is a must, be that for their martial arts background, or for any other facet of life - But, as the OP specifically suggested "Martial Arts females", then I'd be doing the subject a great disservice if I did not mention Michelle Vanderlinden-Enfield Sensei. Not only is Michelle Sensei an exceptional martial artist, whose physical presence far exceeds her physical stature, she is also an active Soroptimist, who has even been invited to the United Nations, as an SME, to speak on the matter. Whether Michelle is using her Martial knowledge to help females find their voice, grow in confidence, or develope their physical skills to stand up for themselves, or, if in her spare time, she is fighting for a better world, collectively, for females everywhere, she is definitely someone that I would be happy for my daughters to look to. Travess
JuJu Chan 2013 Champion in Female Black Belt Pattern and 3rd in Female Black Belt Sparring in the China Open (ITF) Championship. 2013- She represented Hong Kong in the Taekwon-Do (ITF) World Championship in Bulgaria.[22] 2013 Hong Kong Taekwon-Do (ITF) National Team Representative 2014 Bronze medalist in Female 2nd Dan Pattern in the 7th ITF World Championship in Nepal. 2014 46 kg WMC The One Legend Thai Boxing Championship (Hong Kong)