Eunhee Kang-Bolivia's Wrestlers

When I heard a phrase ‘oppression of women’, I instantly pictured a women suffering under the domination and power of male figure. However, through this article Cholitas Fight Back, I witnessed the power of women fighting back instead of accepting society’s stereotype as their unavoidable faith. Strong cholitas changed my fixed idea and showed me how oppression of women can be altered as a tool to open people’s eyes to acknowledge women as strong and independent like Bolivian women.

This article exposes strength of women who attempt to escape and fight against society’s oppression. In Bolivia, there are women wrestlers called fighting cholitas. They fight to show their strength and toughness to the public, and female and male wrestlers. One fighter said, “My goal is to lift up indigenous women, who have been treated with contempt.”, and Esperanza Cancina, one of the audience, said, “It’s a distraction. The cholitas fight here, and we laugh and forget our troubles for three to four hours. At home, we’re sad.” Through fighting or watching cholitas in the ring, many women feel freedom from reality of life that restricts them, although the lightness they feel might last only during the game.

Editor’s attempt was to tell the story of cholitas with cultural aspect. Since the article is written for and published by National Geographic magazine, the situation of fighting cholitas is fitted into cultural frame other than political or social view. The editor mentioned a social issue by explaining the treatment and reactions cholitas are receiving from men; however, it is stated in indirect manner, so that the cultural value is more strongly expressed.

National Geographic magazine is well known reliable source to the reader. It distributed environmental and cultural issues with insightful voice and solid evidence that population of readers is big. As this magazine deals with continuously raising issues or publicly unknown issues, it intrigues readers to flip the pages with curiosity. But this article also contains bias. The article only stated the view of female audience Esperanza, but the majority of audience filling the seats to watch cholita’s fight is men. The explanation about the reason for men watching the game isn’t clear, but I am assuming that it would be similar to women’s-to forget about troubles they have.
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Guillermoprieto, Alma. “In the wrestling rings of Bolivia, skirts fly as CHOLITAS FIGHT BACK!” National Geographic Sep. 2008:112