Famous, Fabulous, and Feminist: Lillian "Fabulous Moolah" Ellison
by Kensie Faldoski
posted on 3/29/2018
posted on 3/29/2018
Lillian Ellison, otherwise known as “Fabulous Moolah,” literally punched and kicked her way through gender stereotypes. She was one of the most important women wrestlers of the twentieth century and she paved the way for women in her career path. She exhibited strength and fierceness inside the ring and outside of it, never caring what critics had to say. Considering how she was raised, there is no question as to how she got so tough. Lillian Ellison grew up in Tookiedoo, South Carolina on a farm as the youngest daughter amongst twelve boys. In 1931, when she was just eight years old, her mother passed away, and soon after her father began taking her to watch wrestling matches in an effort to cheer up his devastated daughter. Little did her father know, these nights would turn his only daughter into a legend. Lillian Ellison would become a feminist icon who changed the world for women wrestlers and showed just how physically and mentally strong a woman can be.
Ellison’s early life was not easy; because she grew up in a southern family with twelve brothers during the early twentieth century, her family life and the pressures of society drove her to marry at the young age of fourteen. Soon after, at age fifteen, she gave birth to her only child, Mary. However, societal expectations and pressures did not stop her from pursuing her dreams of being a wrestler. Her brothers often pressured her into being a typical well-behaved woman but that just was not who Lillian Ellison was. After the birth of her daughter, she took time to be a devoted mother; when her daughter was older, Lillian decided it was time to live how she wanted to live, and she went back to wrestling. She fought her first professional wrestling match against June Byers.[1] Though she lost, it did not put out the fire for wrestling that burned in her heart.
She continued to fight for years and often had to deal with multiple managers and promoters who took advantage of and exploited her. During these rough years on the road, while she got on her feet and worked to gain recognition, she fought as the character “Slave Girl Moolah.” Though it was just her stage name, it symbolizes how she was treated in the early years of her career. She was constantly treated as inferior by managers who told her what to do, how to act, and what to wear. In addition, she started off as a valet, which was basically a side act for more famous male wrestlers.[2] She did not have the freedom to to be who she wanted or make her own decisions as “Slave Girl Moolah.” Despite her mistreatment, she fought how she wanted to; drawing on “her days of backyard brawling with her many brothers, she brought an ‘anything goes’ attitude to the ring.”[3] Around 1955, after years of being bossed around and always being the side act, Ellison changed her name to “Fabulous Moolah” and became the main attraction.
When Ellison changed her name, she also changed her fame, and it did not even happen on purpose. When Ellison began fighting on her own and not at the side of a male wrestler, many were baffled that a woman would desire such a masculine career, but when explaining “why she wanted to be in the ring, she famously replied, ‘I want to wrestle for the moolah!’”[4] Though it was not really intentional, the changing of her stage name from “Slave Girl Moolah” to “Fabulous Moolah” represents how she overcame difficulties in her career and transcended from a young, inexperienced wrestler to an independent star who did she wanted. Her name grabbed people’s attention and helped her gain the recognition she so long awaited. Many will agree that “Ellison's in-ring career began hitting its stride by the mid 1950s when she began calling herself The Fabulous Moolah.”[5] When she became “Fabulous Moolah” she really created her own persona and began to define herself, never caring what anyone, male or female, might have to say about it. Her confident attitude is a major part of what brought her success in the ring. She was known to be merciless and often fought dirty. She would break the rules by kicking, hair pulling, and using other forbidden wrestling tricks. She was a wild woman who loved to shock the crowds and loved the money the crowds brought in; she “enjoyed the mayhem, but she especially coveted the money.”[6] The crowds loved to hate her and she loved to fight, and this made her amazingly famous and successful. Many consider 1956 to be the height of Ellison’s career because she beat twelve other women and won the title for Women’s Championship of the World. Fabulous Moolah even beat the ban against female wrestlers in Madison Square Garden, and with the help of her promoter Vincent J. McMahon, she became the first woman to ever fight at the famous venue.[7] She never took no for answer, and her career was filled with both battles with critics and battles in the ring.
Eventually, Fabulous Moolah began to fight less as she grew older, but her passion for fighting never diminished. She continued to gain victories well into her late sixties and seventies. As her career came to a close, one of her last successes was when she “defeated reigning WWE Women's Champion Ivory to win the title for the fourth time and [become] the oldest title holder in the history of the sport.”[8] Though she did not hold the title for long, it showed one last time how strong she was and will forever be. Her career was riddled with challenges; Ellison “faced down opponents in the ring and out of it, defying the male dominated world of wrestling.”[9] After her nearly forty-year career as one of the most important and successful female wrestlers, she became the first woman to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Her zest and ferocity never dwindled, and she even spent her 80th birthday fighting, and she won. A few years after, at the age of 84, Fabulous Moolah passed away, but her legacy lives on for generations.
Lillian “Fabulous Moolah” Ellison is a prime example of women’s strength. She lived a life filled with obstacles but she overcame every one with power and confidence. Lillian’s life and career were unprecedented, and she was the one to clear a path for women after her that have the same dreams she had. Yet even in death, Ellison is a controversial figure; recent allegations claim she drugged and sexually exploited her trainees for business purposes. However, nine female wrestlers who were trained by Ellison have so far denied these claims and are baffled by the news.[10] Certainly, Ellison created a whole new world of opportunities for women wrestlers. She shows people all around the world how women do not have to constantly follow the rules and do as they are told. She kicked down opponents with her physical strength and kicked down her critics with mental strength. Throughout her whole life up until the day she died, she did what she loved regardless of what anyone had to say about it. Lillian “Fabulous Moolah” is a feminist icon whose actions teach women that they should do as they please and never take no for an answer. The recent accusations of her wrongdoings, true or not, can only further improve important conversations we need to have in our culture about women in wrestling.
Kensie Faldoski is an 18-year-old dual enrolled high school senior. She attends Flowery Branch High School for half the day and University of North Georgia for the other half. When she graduates, she will attend The University of Georgia to pursue a PhD in Psychology. Kensie loves music and art. She’s played piano for 8 years, ukulele for 3 years, and paints in her downtime. She also enjoys being outside, reading, and going on roadtrips with her parents and older brother.
[1] Buggy, Heather. “Ellison, Lillian.” South Carolina Encyclopedia, University of South Carolina, Institute for Southern Studies, 17 May 2016, www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/ellison-lillian/. Accessed 05 March 2018.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] “The Fabulous Moolah.” WWE, WWE Network, www.wwe.com/superstars/fabulousmoolah. Accessed 05 March 2018.
[6] Goldstein, Richard. “ Mary Lillian Ellison, 84, the Fabulous Moolah, Is Dead.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 05 Nov. 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/sports/06moolah.html. Accessed 06 March 2018.
[7] “The Fabulous Moolah.”
[8] Ibid.
[9] Buggy.
[10] Middleton, Marc. “Wrestlers Speak Out Against Fabulous Moolah Allegations That Led To WWE Changing WrestleMania Match.” WrestlingInc.com, Wrestling Inc., 27 Mar 2018, www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0327/638347/wrestlers-speak-out-against-fabulous-moolah-allegations-that-led. Accessed 28 March 2018.
Image: Lillian "Fabulous Moolah" Ellison. Retrieved from TVTropes.org.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] “The Fabulous Moolah.” WWE, WWE Network, www.wwe.com/superstars/fabulousmoolah. Accessed 05 March 2018.
[6] Goldstein, Richard. “ Mary Lillian Ellison, 84, the Fabulous Moolah, Is Dead.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 05 Nov. 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/sports/06moolah.html. Accessed 06 March 2018.
[7] “The Fabulous Moolah.”
[8] Ibid.
[9] Buggy.
[10] Middleton, Marc. “Wrestlers Speak Out Against Fabulous Moolah Allegations That Led To WWE Changing WrestleMania Match.” WrestlingInc.com, Wrestling Inc., 27 Mar 2018, www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0327/638347/wrestlers-speak-out-against-fabulous-moolah-allegations-that-led. Accessed 28 March 2018.
Image: Lillian "Fabulous Moolah" Ellison. Retrieved from TVTropes.org.
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