With her mix of beauty and brawn, WWE divas champion Beth Phoenix takes seriously her status as a role model for women.

This is why the blonde powerhouse teamed with fellow female grappler Natalya in establishing the ‘Pin-Up Strong’ movement.

Phoenix is a big fan of classic Hollywood glam and takes a classy approach to looking great.

“I think that in combination with living a healthy lifestyle and really presenting a good role model for women is kind of what ‘Pin-Up Strong’ encompasses,” Phoenix explained. “It’s basically just words that I wanted to put out there for young women to identify themselves with. I wanted to show them that women of all shapes and sizes can be beautiful and powerful and set a good, classy example. You can find more out of your life, find success and be classy at the same time.”

The Glamazon believes these attributes can be found in the diverse roster of WWE divas. All smart, sexy and powerful in their own ways.

“If you look at us, there is every shape and size, color, creed and hairstyle you can imagine,” Phoenix said. “Everybody brings a different type of beauty to the table. Natalya and I of course put ourselves at the front of the line. We have the new diva Kharma, who is a voluptuous woman and brings a fearsome type of beauty. We have Eve [Torres] and Kelly Kelly, so we have all shapes and sizes. I think when you look at the WWE divas, there is definitely not just the aesthetic and attractive standpoint, but everybody has something to offer.

“Eve Torres has an engineering degree. She is a trainer for Women’s Empowered at the Gracie jiu-jitsu school. Each girl has something incredible to offer. I kind of coin the term ‘Pin-Up Strong’ to encourage women to find themselves and find beauty in a classy way and put themselves out there at any shape or size.”

Phoenix lives by the mantra that isn’t only about breaking records but also breaking hearts.

“There is nothing wrong with going to the gym and looking great doing it,” Phoenix said. “Me specifically, I never fit the model mold and was always different. In some ways I can see how you could perceive that as holding me back, but I see it as the opposite. Being unique among the divas has kind of pushed me to the forefront. Where you can see I’m not a 100-pound model, but I do bring something else to the table that I think a lot of girls look up to. I’m not 100 pounds, but I still pursue what I want and have that constant that kind of what ‘Pin-Up Strong’ is all about.”

The dominant diva has seen her message resonate with fans all over the world.

“I can’t tell you how many women of all shapes, sizes and ages have felt that maybe they don’t have this million dollar beach ready body, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be the best version of you that you can be. It’s about loving yourself for who you are. I’ll never be Kelly Kelly, and I don’t want to be because I want to be me. I want to take care of myself and be the best version of myself that I can be.”

Phoenix, who began training at Ron Hutchinson Wrestling Academy at Sully’s Gym I in Toronto, recently got the chance to visit the place where her journey in this business began.