December 29, 2005
"It's still all nude pumps and suntan pantyhose."
Why do figure skaters dress the way they do? It's not cool and it has no correlation to fashion in general. Why don't they require all the Olympic contenders to wear a solid black unitard? Wouldn't it be nice not to purify the competition and remove the distractions? Or is the absurdity of bugle beads and pirate shirts what we really love about the skating?
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12 comments:
Oh Ann…perish the thought!
Professional skating is as much a beauty contest (style) as it is an athletic competition (technical skill). And, of course, the revealing outfits have everything to do with appealing to prurient interest in the sport. Indeed, I don’t mind admitting that I would enjoy watching a comely skater with mediocre ability more than a homely one with excellent ability.
“Figure” skating: It is what it is….
Yes! The puffy shirt! It'll be all the rage!
"But I don't wanna be a pirate!"
"Also, dad likes to look at the figure skaters’ arsses."
The men's or the women's arses?
Personally, I'd like to see those hunky male skaters with their huge legs in spandex unitards (is that a real word?)
And what about same-sex pairs as a part of the competition?
It is obvious that the reporter has never been to a national figure skating event. The stands are crammed with girls under 13. From what I have seen, the skaters' costumes are a big draw for these girls.
"Is that a real word?" Don't be such a unitard!
Actually wearing a unitard is specifically forbidden for competitions, but you can see them in exhibitions and professional skating.
I think the costumes are in part a result of the influence of the old Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries whose skaters and judges seem to love the most God awful tacky costumes. Michelle Kwan has been able to get away with her simple, elegant Vera Wangs because she's so good she can say to the Eastern European judges, "I don't care if you like frills, boas and spangles, this is how a skater should look".
See, here's the difference between figure skating and sports such as downhill skiing. The results in skating are subjective, while the results in downhill skiing are objective. I don't really follow figure skating, but can only assume that the competitors believe that the style of costumes worn influence the judging in some small way. If that's the case, then costuming becomes part of the competitive process.
Aw. I like the cheesy costumes. They're so... guileless.
I'm actually surprised at how many name designers make the costumes. I'd think that they'd consider figure skating too déclassé for them.
Can we just abolish the figure skating competition and have more time for the hockey instead?
It's so funny you would write this, because yesterday I was flipping through the channels and got sucked into "Ballroom Bootcamp"... I was thinking, "these costumes are SO horrendous, not to mention gaudy and distracting, they need to just wear black unitards."
But I guess you have to take into account the sport or whatever, itself, and that explains it.
"A Salute To Earth Wind & Fire On Ice" ...LMAO!!
I like pantyhose.
I can't believe the 'upset' that the skating costumes have generated in the comments I read on this blog. Leave skating alone - and the costumes - and enjoy like theater, sometimes it's "theater of the absurd", granted, but costumes are up to the skater, coach, choreographer and costumer, not YOU or most anyone else, as long as they adhere to any rules imposed by the sport and its regulators.
Skating is great, just look at what some of the Figure skaters can do...it staggers my mind, and I've tried ice (figure) skating.
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