Have you ever wanted to know what Ronda Rousey would look like if she brought the same intensity she has in the UFC ring to eating a breakfast sandwich – well wonder no longer. A new Carl’s Jr/ Hardees ad featuring Ronda Rousey has been released that emphasizes her intensity and her beauty in equal measures.
The video intercuts shots of Rousey training in makeup as well as snacking on the new Cinnamon Swirl French Toast Breakfast Sandwich, and it most certainly contains the hallmarks of a Carl’s Jr. advertisement. There’s the slow motion theme music and the necessary beautiful woman aggressively eating a Carl's Jr. sandwich. Juxtaposing the quick shots of her intense training with her beauty likens her to the nature of the sandwich: a knockout with a sweet side. Now that’s some Don Draper-level advertising right there.
While Carl's Jr. commercials have taken a great deal of heat over the years for their depiction of women, this one seems to be a step in the right direction. Ronda Rousey is objectively an attractive woman, and the ad plays to that, but it also completely shows her in her element. She’s not Paris Hilton; she neither straddles a car, nor does she lie on a sandy beach -- she throws punches, she sweats--all like a pro--and then she gets to celebrate with a sandwich.
Even in the moments when she wears make-up and lets her hair down, she still wears her sports bra and athletic tape, emphasizing her status as a legitimate athlete, and not a piece of eye candy. One could just as easily replace Rousey with a professional male fighter, and the content could have come out similarly.
Ronda Rousey has captured the spotlight over the last few years for doing what this ad depicts perfectly: being beautiful as well as badass. At 28 years old, she has become an MMA phenomenon, going 12 UFC matches undefeated. She has parlayed this popularity into a burgeoning film career, taking roles in films ranging from The Expendables 3, to Furious 7, to this summer’s Entourage. This success could eventually lead her to joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Captain Marvel--although she faces stiff competition on that front.
Whether or not you want to go out and buy a Carl’s Jr. breakfast sandwich after watching that video is entirely your call – but it’s safe to say that the ad did manage to capture Rousey’s two defining characteristic: foxy and fierce.
