- Skin-tight leotards
The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling’s uniform were skin-tight leotards. These leotards were not high end, but the product of what was within the means of gritty, working class women trying to get their start in showbiz. Directed by Matt Cimber, all leotards were to be shiny, eye catching, and most of all skin tight and revealing to please viewers and suit the male gaze.
2. Teased Hair and DIY Makeup
As a low-budget production, cast members were forced to create their own hair and makeup looks. Each cast member was given a persona, and had to create an outfit that reflected their wrestling agendas. Hair was teased out and dramatic. Makeup was full of color, eyeshadows and eyeliner. Their looks were sloppy, and would get rustled and destroyed in the ring, making the fighting seem even more authentic.
3. Personas
After auditions, each newly recruited cast member were given a persona by Matt Cimber. Personas would go off physical stereotypes. Most personas were racist, sexist, and completely offensive. Pictured above is “voodoo Mama” the one black cast member who “had the power to win through African voodoo.” Other members include Russian soviet “Zoya”, “Firey Latina Spanish Red”, “Mount Fiji”, and “Babe” the “all-American” sexually available blonde. Each cast member was either categorized by their size or race, or by their sexual appeal. This made it easy for fans to attach to non-sexualized personas via racism, and hyper-sexualize the “ideal” bodies even more.
4. Rap
Every episode began with an opening rap that solidified the cast’s personas. Playing off racial stereotypes, cast members entered a space where they used their race/appearance as a performative quality. If not playing off race, white cast members would hypersexualize themselves in order to keep male audiences.
5. Sex/Fighting
Although the cast members were really wrestling in the ring, the fighting was directed by Matt Cimber who wanted to add sexualization to the fights. Oiled and made-up women in skin-tight leotards wasn’t completely about the athletic look. Cimber directed these women in order to procure a certain image-women fighters that due to their appearance you’d still love to have sex with.
6. Video Editing and Transitions
Each persona had their own digital effect and logo to solidify their own brand. This was intended to make it easier to audiences to get attached to a character. This effect worked well with college kids, and young kids who later looked up to these women as real fighters who were not yet sexualized in their minds. Transitions included classic 80s shapes, neon, lighting bolts, and subtitles.
7. Setting
Filmed in the Rivera Showroom in Vegas, GLOW’s aesthetics pulled largely from showroom dancers. The actual setting of the show was incredibly low-budget. The cast members describe it as dingy, dirty, and completely fitting.
