Why we body-shame Ronda Rousey and Serena Williams

GIRLS star Lena Dunham has an interesting theory on why Ronda Rousey and Serena Williams receive so much criticism about the way they look.

THEY’RE the two most dominant female athletes in the world but the success of Ronda Rousey and Serena Williams has come at a price.

The UFC women’s star and world No. 1 tennis player have been subjected to regular body-shaming throughout their careers.

Both strong, powerful and supremely athletic women, Rousey and Williams have been targeted by social trolls — and Girls star Lena Dunham has a theory on why.

“With Serena Williams and Ronda Rousey, men are thinking, ‘You could beat me up, that f***ing scares me, you have achieved more than I ever will in my lifetime, so I’m going to get online and tell you that you don’t look like someone I want to f***’. That is where I believe it comes from. And it’s so unenlightened. And man, it’s a bummer,” Dunham told espnW.

“The fact is, Ronda Rousey could punch you in the face anytime she wanted, and she has completely created her own life and she’s having an incredible career that most of us could only dream of and she doesn’t give a s*** what you think. And that point of view is really, really threatening to certain people, especially when it comes in the form of a woman, because to a man, a woman not caring what you think means that all your power is gone. You can’t control her anymore.”

Ronda Rousey on the cover of ESPN Magazine's Body Issue.

Serena Williams on the runway.

But she also believes women are part of the dynamic. “It’s true. Women want to control other women because they’ve been controlled themselves. It’s a cycle of control. I’m not blaming women for that, but I am saying we’re part of a toxic culture that’s feeding all of us the same messaging,” she said.

Dunham, who regularly exposes her body on her hit television show and faces regular criticism herself, says the judgment does hurt.

“Yes. I would also like to say on the record that I have been hurt by what people have said about my body, but it was usually when it was said to my face, not on the internet, because I don’t consider those voices real voices. When someone anonymous tells me I’m fat, that’s not a person to me. If they’re not going to acknowledge me as a person, I’m certainly not going to acknowledge them as a person,” she said.

Serena has achieved more than most athletes.

‘Rousey could punch you in the face anytime she wanted’

Originally published as Why we body-shame Ronda Rousey and Serena Williams