The Way NOT To Market MMA

There was a short but excellent post on MMAPayout.com today about the marketing of MMA and how it's been (obviously) counterproductive towards making MMA more acceptable to a mainstream audience. Robert Joyner, in brief and well-thought-out terms, described what I have been trying to put my finger on for the last few years.

To add to Mr. Joyner's commentary, it will continue to be impossible for fans or casual viewers to accept women's MMA so long as the marketing includes the ever-present ring girls. Every major promotion devotes a main page on their website to displaying the ring girls. Always scantily clad, usually artificially enhanced, they are the epitome of objectification. How can we expect people to see women fighters as deserving respect, attention, and equal prize money, no matter how talented or how well matched their fights are? Women should be parading around in bikinis and stilettos, not getting punched in the face, not getting choked out... they're there for us to look at! Right?

Perhaps ring girls and female fighters are simply entirely different "breeds," like cats and dogs, apples and pears. The ring girls are there so we can have something pretty to look, while the fighters girls are real and talented people. But can these two breeds actually be separated? Can female fighters truly be respected? If you saw an English sheep dog and a Polish lowland sheep dog, could you tell the difference?

Perhaps the men watching MMA are insecure in their sexuality and need enough reassurance that watching mostly naked, sweaty, ripped men grapple each other is not that gay.

So who are these ring girls? They're obviously not worthy of souls or personalities based on the way they're paraded around, camera shot from angles with full cleavage view, jerked off to.... Sometimes the MMA promotion websites make some some effort at giving the girls "personality" by describing their hobbies, likes, and dislikes. This is a poor attempt and does nothing to alter the already-ingrained social constructs of.... SORRY, I'm getting way too feminist.

Fighters like Gina Carano are extremely interesting to me. On one hand, she's a talented, well-trained, and dedicated fighter. On the other hand, she's beautiful and charismatic (some would say flirtatious). Many other much more experienced women fighters rightfully resent Carano for all the attention she's garnered. Since I'm not nor ever will be a pro MMA fighter, I can't possibly resent her, but I'm really interested to see how her career will play out. Is she seen as guys' fantasy -- a ring girl with MMA gloves on? Or is she truly respected as she deserves for her talent and personality?

Hurting the cause of Carano and women fighters everywhere is one group of wannabes. They are MMAGirls.net. MMAGirls fall somewhere between Gina Carano and your typical ring girl. At first I just found this website humorous and dismissable, but the more I looked at it, the more uneasy I felt. Let's look at the pros and cons:

Pro -- MMAGirls sponsors some good fighters like Hillary Williams.

Pro -- MMAGirls offers some technique videos that are decent enough, given that they clearly have little to no real experience outside of gymnastics.

Con -- MMAGirls were recently asked to start giving their commentary of upcoming MMA fights. They don't say anything interesting or original. Yes, Kenny Florian and Joe Lauzon are both fighters from Boston, thanks for the enlightened analysis.

Con -- MMAGirl Joanne volunteered to be choked unconscious. Save the few brain cells you have left, please.

Con -- MMAGirls conduct their technique videos with their silky smooth blond hair splayed all over the mat or each other, they wear short short shorts and tank tops that show their bellies. Sounds appealing right? Definitely! I can't deny this! But what is more important to the guys watching, the mediocre techniques, or the hot chicks doing them? It just feels wrong.

I could go on there, but I've never taken a women's studies class and actually have no idea what I'm talking about! Make up your own mind.

Conclusion... in showing they can be "liberated" and "free spirited" and "rebellious" by being "MMA Girls," they are just buying in to the standards of objectification. At first, I liked what they were doing. I thought, wow, they are ambitious and taking the initiative, taking advantage of their good looks to make something legitimate of themselves. Now, I feel not only have they failed, they've also helped to reinforce these standards -- women are for looking at.