Fight Club: Are Women Invited?

In Million Dollar Baby, champion boxer Maggie Fitzgerald triumphantly comes home with her newfound wealth and fame, only to have her mother tell her, "Find a man. Live proper." The film, which celebrates women in boxing, won an Oscar for best picture.

In the real world, though, does Maggie's mom represent the norm ‑ can women ever be perceived as both feminine and expert fighters? Guys sure seem to like Jennifer Garner on the series Alias, where she plays a secret agent who's both emotionally sensitive and a pro at hand-to-hand combat. But what's it actually like to be a woman who boxes?

Women who have seen Million Dollar Baby and who like their faces intact might be inclined to steer clear of the ring. Although the sport has become increasingly popular, gyms usually only offer women a noncontact version. In other words, you lay into a punching bag instead of another person. "People are intimidated because they think, 'Oh, boxing, it's getting hit in the face,' but the class isn't like that," explains Chau, 23, a singer who regularly attends New York Sports Club boxing classes.

At least in part, many women view the classes as an entertaining way to get exercise. Joanne, 38, an accountant, tried it out for the first time because she had seen that "everyone was having fun," and it beat the other options. "I tried yoga once... too passive," she explained. Lisa, 29, a salesperson, also likes how boxing "taps into that other side of you."

The sport inspires so much passion that some women adjust their schedules to regularly attend classes. Gina, 30, a salesperson who takes a 1:15pm Monday class, half-jokes, "My clients don't go to lunch on Mondays." Perhaps unsurprisingly, it also provides stress relief for those who use the noncontact fighting to work out their frustrations. Boxing acts as a "big release" from anger and tension, according to Elizabeth, 41, a senior product manager ‑- an assessment that everyone else echoed.

There seems to be universal agreement that anyone with an interest should definitely try boxing at least once ‑ without feeling embarrassed or intimidated. Gina also observes that "these big guys, who think they're so strong even though they've never taken [the class before]," often have a rockier start than women who have better control and coordination, abilities that can be more useful than brute strength.

Enough from the women. How do the guys in their lives respond? Lisa's and Gina's boyfriends have a positive reaction to it. "It's fun [for them] to think that we have this other side," explained Lisa. Elizabeth, in the process of getting divorced, has a different take on the relationship between boxing and the men in her life. "I just imagine [my ex-husband's] head on that bag when I'm hitting, and it makes me feel better." For Chris, 55, who works in accounting and payroll, there's not much her husband could say about it. "After 30 years, he knows better than to question what I want to do," she shrugs.

Almost every woman interviewed mentioned that she admired Maggie Fitzgerald's perseverance and determination in Million Dollar Baby. Chau explains, "Even if you just half-ass [it], it's still an amazing workout because you're constantly moving ‑- not just your arms, not just your legs, it's your whole body." Elizabeth always gets a strong "sense of pride that I can do it" every time she finishes a class. Tackling the physically demanding class, described by many as offering the best possible workout, can engender that same sense of pride of accomplishment in any woman.