Self(NEW YORK) — UFC champion Ronda Rousey has no problem hitting back at body-shamers who have called her figure “huge” or too masculine.
That’s because the mixed martial arts fighter has grown to love and accept her impressive figure.
“I’ve learned to appreciate all the forms it can take,” she told the November issue of Self, which features her on the cover. “I love feeling like I’m inhabiting the body of a ninja — like I could rob a liquor store with my bare hands if I wanted to — but I also like when I eat a little more, fill out and get a little bit curvier. I feel more feminine.”
She’d like to see more women be comfortable in their own skin, too.
“I want to see the standards that women hold themselves to change,” the 28-year-old fighter told the magazine. “In terms of looks, I feel like we’re given an impossible standard to live up to. It should be more diverse and show that every single woman can attain an attractive body just by being as healthy as possible. I don’t think that’s an impossible goal.”
Interviewed by Brooklyn Nine-Nine actress Chelsea Peretti in advance of her highly anticipated UFC 193 fight in Melbourne, Australia, Rousey shared what it took for her to become the best in the world, including an Olympic champion.
“When I was a kid, all I did was train. I never went to a dance, I never had a date, I never went to a single party,” Rousey told Self. “Training was my whole life, and it was because I wanted to be able to win the Olympics more than I wanted to go to the movies with my friends. It’s funny, because people get offended by the mind-set that it takes to be the best.”
It’s failure, though, that motivates Rousey to be the best.
“That’s why I work harder than anyone else: I’m the most afraid to lose,” she said. “But fear is also what motivates me.”
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