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Here's why a backlash is brewing against Ronda Rousey

The figher has come under fire for “slut shaming” and “transphobia”.

MMA-UFC-Rousey-Holm AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

THIS WEEKEND, RONDA Rousey will fight Holly Holm in UFC 193.

It will be Rousey’s first fight since she unceremoniously defeated Beth Correia in just 34 seconds back in August.

But is a backlash beginning to brew?

Rousey has always been notoriously outspoken (see her remarks about not being a “do nothing bitch” or her retort to Floyd Mayweather) but recently she has been accused of everything from slutshaming to transphobia.

Back in August, Rousey delivered her now-infamous Do Nothing Bitch sermon — a speech Beyoncé has since incorporated into her concert — and was applauded for her sentiment.

But some people were uneasy about it and accused Rousey of tearing other women down.

The comment that got to people?

Listen, just because my body was developed for a purpose other than f****** millionaires doesn’t mean it’s masculine.

Indeed Rousey has also been criticised for comments she made in 2012 regarding Kim Kardashian.

The fighter was previously quoted as saying that she’d like to beat the reality star up and called her a “glorified porn star”.

You know what? I would beat the crap out of Kim Kardashian actually. Any girl who is famous and idolized because she made a sex video with some guy and that’s all that you’re known for, ‘Oh, I got my fame for [expletive],’ I think it’s pretty stupid, sorry, but it’s true.
“I think, one of the reasons why [Kim Kardashian] bothers me so much is because there’s plenty of pornstars out there that do the same thing for a living, but she’s like a glorified pornstar that’s been taken and somehow pushed to be some sort of role model.
This girl should be selling lube or something like that instead. Why is she selling shoes?

The comments have resurfaced ahead of Saturday’s fight and few are impressed.

In 2013, Rousey was accused of being transphobic following insensitive comments she made about transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox.

In an interview with The New York Post, Rousey stated that she felt Fox had an advantage over female fighters because she was born a man.

She can try hormones, chop her pecker off, but it’s still the same bone structure a man has. It’s an advantage. I don’t think it’s fair.

(In fact, research has shown that transgender athletes don’t have any competitive advantages over fellow athletes.)

To top it all off, Rousey attracted ire following derogatory comments she made about people who use lube. (Yep.)

You should never need lube in your life. If you need lube, then you’re being lazy…

AH RONDA.

But as a sex educator told Salon, using lube does not mean one is “lazy”.

If someone is undergoing cancer treatments, going through menopause, or even taking certain medications, their natural lubrication production can dramatically change and decrease.

Ah, Ronda.

All these comments have left people questioning Rousey’s ‘role model’ status.

The Mary Sue has expressed disappointment with Rousey, labelling her a “hypocrite”.

It’s sad and infuriating to watch a woman of Rousey’s stature, one who’s fought hard to get women their due in her field, turn her back on women who are not like her. Rousey is a hypocrite who flouts gender norms when it suits her, but throws women under the bus when it doesn’t.

Salon went one step further and urged people to stop calling her a role model.

She’s also a transphobe, a body-shamer, and a Sandy Hook truther. A winning combination inside the Octagon, perhaps, but certainly not outside of it. Ronda Rousey isn’t a hero. Ronda Rousey isn’t a role model. Ronda Rousey beats people up in a cage. Let’s not pretend she does more than that.
Block it out - get it done #UFC193 #rouseyVSholm #UFCMelbourne #Nov14th #andSTILL Pic by @hansgutknechtSource: rondarousey

In short? Enjoy Ronda Rousey's fights all you want, but maybe don't look to her for guidance on feminism/sex/transgender issues.

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