I have always considered myself a tomboy; my mother fondly remembers me screaming as a small child when they had to dress me for church on Sunday.  I lived in jeans and t-shirts although I idolized my older sister and her very cute, very feminine style.  In high school I became a bit more feminine in my attire but I hated wearing make-up which I felt highlighted my severe acne.  So although I was a bit of a tomboy I wasn't very athletic and, in turn, I had little self-confidence.

During my second year of college I decided to start training martial arts.  I longed to join the local Kung Fu gym but my then-boyfriend convinced me it was no place for girls.  It was nearing the end of the relationship and my desire for independence led me to join the gym and say to hell with it bring male-only.  Within the first year I dumped my boyfriend, lost about fifteen pounds and became obsessed...OBSESSED with training.

Fast forward a couple of years and I was beyond the Kung Fu.  I trained boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and catch-wrestling.  I spent hours every night in the gym where I gained incredible self-confidence and a new beau who encouraged my training.  I began competing in stand-up and ground fighting and was taken seriously as a fighter by my coaches and training partners.  I was one of the few women in the gym filled with overly aggressive men (and boys).  I found myself slowly evolving in my fashion choices.  At the gym I was sweaty and dirty, covered in bruises with chipped nail polish, ringworm (yuck), abrasions on my cheeks and nose from sparring and my hair constantly pulled out from wrestling.  But outside of the gym I became obsessed with beauty, especially the classic figures of the 1940s and 1950s.  I purchased my first PUG dress, the cowboy Netti, in 2004 or 2005.  I was on the PUG website EVERYDAY staring at pictures of Masuimi Max (my idol) and trying to emulate her hair and pout (absolutely unattainable). 

But beyond having a fabulous new wardrobe I felt confident both on and off the mat.  I love the way I look and feel while I train and I love how I look when I am in my PUG clothes.  The interesting thing, to me, is that the feelings are so similar:  a combination of confidence and beauty and femininity and power.  Pin-Up Girl was an inspiration for me to embrace my feminine side while I took part in culturally masculine endeavors. 

Now I own my own Mixed Martial Arts gym and teach classes to men and women full time.  At the gym I live in dry-fit tank tops, fight shorts and my signature 'top knot' hair.  When I am not at the gym my friends know that I will always be 'dressed' with full make-up and a fabulous outfit, nearly always provided by PUG.  I always joke with my friends that the more aggressive I became on the mat, the more girly I became off of it.  As I train my female clients, fighters and non-fighters alike, I encourage them to find confidence in themselves both in and out of the gym.  And while clothing is not the only way to feel good about yourself, it damn sure helps. 

These pictures were taken on the same day.  In the first picture my husband and I went to a full-day seminar with a very famous MMA coach.  I was the only gal in the crowd.  That night I put on my new favorite PUG separates for drinks.