Okay, first things first with The Fighting Cholitas short film, how rad are these women?! Let’s take a minute to celebrate that. I mean, fighting in a skirt? That’s the kind of hard core I love to see. Break those stereotypes and societal expectations (if I could put clapping emojis here, I would). Even more than that, though, is what the fights mean to them and what they have to go through in order to be a part of it.
They use the fights as an opportunity to ask for justice. The ring is their place to show the bravery that they hold inside of them constantly, to demonstrate their strength, their power, su fuerza. Even it is over-dramatic at times, and dangerous, and people think that they shouldn’t be fighting because they’re cholitas… They love it so much, and they keep going. It’s become an integral part of their life. They’re even willing to sneak out (more or less) to train. Because even though there are parts of it that are an act (the roles that they take up, the two sides ‘tecnica’ vs. ‘ruda’, the laughter of a ruda after hitting down a técnica), they know that there are other parts that are real. The pain that the women feel. That’s real. That line hit me so deep.
It was International Women’s Day yesterday, and I saw a video of a cover of a song called “Canción sin Miedo” by Vivir Quintana. The song talks about violence against women, giving specific examples from Latin America, and the response that that violence brings about. It talks about asking for justice, and one of the first lines is “hoy a las mujeres nos quitan la calma” which roughly translates to “today the women’s calm is taken away”. It reminded me of the cholitas, and of the way that some of them say that they change when they’re in the ring. I think maybe that’s a part of it, anyways, that the ring is their place to lose their calm.
As women in general, we’re expected to stay calm and reserved. This is likely especially true for the cholitas as they are seen as housewives, meant to cook and clean and care for their husbands and nothing more. As I’ve said in the past, I have absolutely nothing against this. What I actually really liked about the cholitas is that they aren’t fighting in spite of their identity, but they’re uniting the two. They’re saying that they can be both-and. They can wear their layered skirts and care for their families, and they can wear their skirts and fight.
And I mean seriously though y’all. Think about fighting in a skirt. Can you imagine the range, the movement, the FLOW? It’s been days since I watched the film and I still just can’t get over it. Incredible.
So my question for the class is this: what do you think it means to frequent spectators that the cholitas wear their skirts?
*Here’s a link to the cover that I saw, and here’s a link to the original song.*
ayla hucke
March 10, 2021 — 4:24 PM
Awesome post and picture Coral 🙂
I think subconsciously when the Cholitas wear their skirts they reinforce that things or people associated with feminity can be just as strong as those associated with masculinity. These women do not have to change who they are to prove that they are equal.
Clara
March 11, 2021 — 12:39 PM
I loved your remark!
Emilia Heilakka
March 11, 2021 — 4:17 AM
Hey! Loved this post 😀
I thought it was so impressive that they fight in their skirts, it seemed like a big “f*ck you” to the narrow gender roles that these women are forced in. I was also amazed by the husbands comment that he was obviously concerned that she would get hurt but if fighting was what she want to do, then she should. There wasn’t a sense of you know, undervaluing her devotion or trying to force her to conform to some idea about femininity. It feels like very often in combat sports women have to acquire and embrace masculine characteristics in order to succeed, and therefore I really loved how this whole thing was about women, doing it in a feminine way.
DylanMorin
March 11, 2021 — 10:39 AM
Hi Coral,
I like to frequent your blog because it’s so nice by the way!
As you pretty much mentioned above, their action to become a fighting cholita is an act of autonomy, it is a revolution in a skirt. And, what I love most about them is that the fighting portion is just an add-on to their already established life-style, never do they stop being a cholita because as they said it is who they are.
Clara
March 11, 2021 — 12:38 PM
Hi Coral,
Nice post! I agree with you that fighting with skirts is incredible and challenging. But this is a challenge they choose to face because, as people said in previous posts and as you said, they want to fight and preserve their identity. Fighting adds to their identities. They can show their strength and let their anger out. I think they fight in skirts precisely because they want to show the viewers that fighting can also be part of the Cholitas identity.
Magalee
March 11, 2021 — 11:59 PM
Hey Coral, loved your post this week! In response to your question, I think that the cholitas wearing skirts expresses a radical self-love for their cultures and female identities. Skirts are uncomfortable for most activities and the fact that they are wearing them, despite some push-back that it “makes them show everything”, means that they do not care about sexism or traditional gender roles, and refuse to be anything but themselves. Which is something that inspires me!
madeleine battisti
March 12, 2021 — 9:08 AM
Hi there- I really liked reading your post. A lot of great points and good perspective on the short film. In terms of your question to do with what does it mean to frequent spectators that the cholitas wear skirts I believe that it is rooted in tradition as well as them being able to accept and own their own femininity. One of the cholitas talked about how people view them as old fashioned and oppressed, however I feel as though part of their skirts are their identities about who they are and what they do. Therefore it’s liberating in a sense.