Skaters' Costumes

[Tippi1963]

Alissa is listed as #5 on this list:
http://www.insteresting.com/sexy-female-athletes/

And #6 on this:
http://www.mensfitness.com/women/galleries/top-10-sexiest-female-athletes-of-2013?page=7

That being said, I don't like it when skaters try to be sexy, women or men. It looks silly and I'm usually embarrassed for them (Philippe Candeloro), plus I think it cheapens the sport to a degree. IMO.

 

[ice coverage]

Primary thought:

Many thanks to the mods for changing the title of this thread. I don't quite remember what the original title was, but I do remember that I hated it. ​

Random secondary thoughts on/for the jumbled discussion in this thread:

- What falls within the boundaries of propriety is different for a fourteen-year-old child vs. a young adult.
- Agree that the appearance of bareness (whether real or achieved by illusion fabric) does not automatically equal sexiness.
- Sequins/other embellishments/theatricality do not equal sexiness. Simplicity can be sexy.
- In real life, a well-recognized phenomenon is that females dress to impress other females -- not only to impress males.
- Many male skaters have "assets" that their costumes do not hide. And in some cases, the assets could have the unintended side effect of contributing to sexiness.
- Do the skimpy outfits worn by female beach volleyball players diminish their sport?​

 

[dorispulaski]

I always think of 1987-1988 Olympic season as a watershed moment for complaining about costumes (of course, everyone always wants to do everything more in an Olympics year)


The first time I remember hearing a rant about costumes was Usova & Zhulin's 1988 FD at Europeans-Toller Cranston saying that if this trend in costumes goes on, they'll be naked by the year 1992:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMNozY4jyNw

Furthermore, Kati Witt was also pushing the envelope in 1988 with her SP dress, particularly at and prior tot Europeans - by Olympics she had added a few more feathers to the non-existent "skirt" to respond to criticisms of her costume:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrHE7Fgtdl8

There were also complaints about Bestemianova & Bukin's costumes for their FD at Europeans - people complained that it looked like his tunic had a skirt and she was wearing the pants (well bloomers, anyway). The costumes were altered a bit by Olympics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO4JPSLPGfc

And then there was Debi Thomas's catsuit in the SP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChmdEFrn3OY

In fact, for the following season, a rule was added to try to insure more modest costumes.

 

[skateluvr]

Agreeing with hurrah and tulosai, :thumbsup::thumbsup:

then why bother with ur negative thoughts? It's a real issue. This should not have been moved.

 

[Tonichelle]

then why bother with ur negative thoughts? It's a real issue. This should not have been moved.

skating costumes don't really qualify in the "real world" as a "real issue".

 

[surimi]

I think yours are valid questions to ask, Skateluvr. Costumes are a part of the experience for me when watching an individual or a pair skate, and when the outfits leave very little to imagination, it detracts from the enjoyment. (But I must say that the same holds true for some components I've seen within the last couple of years as well, even if they fit the music theme).

I want to know how posters of all ages feel about the costumes-esp. the young Russian girls. Do you feel the costume Adelina wears is ok for her age-or any age?

I for one felt uncomfortable looking at Adelina's FS costume (the Carmen one was OK); it looked like underwear was showing beneath a see-through fabric, and it felt strange to watch.

Is sex appeal being judged?

By the audience, possibly. I don't think a costume choice makes any difference to the judges, or a skater's looks for that matter: as it should be. Going just by the latest results, the winners weren't the ones to wear the most revealing costumes, nor was there any higher placement for the - how shall I put it? - curvier ladies when others skated better and cleaner.

- What falls within the boundaries of propriety is different for a fourteen-year-old child vs. a young adult.

I agree with this. I am fine with supershort skirts and deep cleavages on adults, but the latter looks a bit strange on young girls. It looks like they're trying to emulate the adults and for me it detracts from their performance.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

I always think of 1987-1988 Olympic season as a watershed moment for complaining about costumes (of course, everyone always wants to do everything more in an Olympics year)


The first time I remember hearing a rant about costumes was Usova & Zhulin's 1988 FD at Europeans-Toller Cranston saying that if this trend in costumes goes on, they'll be naked by the year 1992:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMNozY4jyNw

Furthermore, Kati Witt was also pushing the envelope in 1988 with her SP dress, particularly at and prior tot Europeans - by Olympics she had added a few more feathers to the non-existent "skirt" to respond to criticisms of her costume:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrHE7Fgtdl8

There were also complaints about Bestemianova & Bukin's costumes for their FD at Europeans - people complained that it looked like his tunic had a skirt and she was wearing the pants (well bloomers, anyway). The costumes were altered a bit by Olympics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO4JPSLPGfc

And then there was Debi Thomas's catsuit in the SP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChmdEFrn3OY

In fact, for the following season, a rule was added to try to insure more modest costumes.

Thank you so much for making this post, Doris. Because it shows how much attitudes have changed in the past 25 years.

As I was only a toddler at the time, I cannot pass judgement on these costumes with the same perspective as somebody at the time would have.

So, looking at them from a current perspective, the only one I would have a problem with is Maya Usova's in the first video.

I find it very interesting that the other costumes were so controversial at the time. I would consider myself quite old-fashioned, yet I would not have any problem with any of them being worn nowadays.

I think yours are valid questions to ask, Skateluvr. Costumes are a part of the experience for me when watching an individual or a pair skate, and when the outfits leave very little to imagination, it detracts from the enjoyment. (But I must say that the same holds true for some components I've seen within the last couple of years as well, even if they fit the music theme).

I agree completely with everything you say in this paragraph!

Re. the part about detracting from the enjoyment - I couldn't have put it better! I have complained a few times about certain costumes worn by female skaters. So as to be diplomatic in a family forum, I have said that the costumes "show just how cold they are", and could be easily remedied by "wearing a good bra".

But, you all know what I mean. Even though I might fancy the skater involved (as is the case for the 2 most recent examples of this! ), I don't like seeing the outline of things we shouldn't see the outline of! It really does detract from the enjoyment of the routine.

Do you feel the costume Adelina wears is ok for her age-or any age?

I for one felt uncomfortable looking at Adelina's FS costume (the Carmen one was OK); it looked like underwear was showing beneath a see-through fabric, and it felt strange to watch.

Last season, I was very vocal that Adelina's costumes were too revealing (see this comment). But, this year's FS costume is just pushing the boundaries too far for my comfort. And that is coming from somebody that absolutely loves Adelina, and is a big fan of her's.

Just in response to you mentioning underwear, there was something I noticed at the Cup of China that I had decided at the time to not bring up on this forum. But, it does tie in well with this thread, so I will.

In the "Stupid Questions Thread", the following conversation took place:

Do female skaters wear underwear? I mean, it always looked to me that they have that attached-to-the-dress underwear (a la gymnastics) and the tights underneath. So... is this it?

I do realize this is a terribly down-to-earth, silly, maybe even tasteless question, but it always fascinated me/made me wonder. Please put me out of my misery and answer

No to the underwear, at least for most. The tights they wear have cotton gussets which function essentially as underwear, and the skating dress goes over that. Wearing underwear in addition to that would make for some unsightly lines, particularly across the waistband, and you don't really need it.

It depends on the situation, however, and I know of many skaters who sometimes wear a thong under their tights. Granny panties are right out, though.

Well, I would like to add that during the Cup of China, there was a certain skater who, to save embarrassment, shall remain nameless. She was wearing a pair of grey knickers.

How do I know that? Well, the dress was skimpier than the knickers. So when she was up in the air, you could see the knickers extending further down her leg than the dress!!!

Now you can see why I'm not naming her!

Although I found this incident funny, it is actually a good example of how the dresses are getting more revealing.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[dorispulaski]

Re moving the thread to Le Cafe, while costumes are not trivial, and many of us enjoy discussing costume trends, this isn't really about skating. A plus is that threads in Le Cafe last longer than in the fast-moving Edge, so we can discuss them for quite a while

 

[merrywidow]

As to women skaters not having sex appeal am I the only one on this board old enough to remember that Katarina Witt was featured in men's magazines back in the day? She was not only beautiful but very well endowed. There was also a Russian woman (not child) who I believe posed nude in a magazine. Can't recall who it was though.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

As to women skaters not having sex appeal am I the only one on this board old enough to remember that Katarina Witt was featured in men's magazines back in the day? She was not only beautiful but very well endowed. There was also a Russian woman (not child) who I believe posed nude in a magazine. Can't recall who it was though.

I'm too young to have seen Kati Witt at the time. But, I've seen lots of old videos and photos, and she was definitely very beautiful when she was skating competitively. If I had been a teenager at the time, I know I would have fancied her!

However, Kati has not aged well. She went under the knife and, in my eyes, it has backfired.

You mention that Kati was "very well endowed". Erm, you do realise that, by the time she did her first Playboy shoot back in December 1998, they already weren't real. You can clearly see the scar marks...

Which might explain why I no longer found Kati attractive...

I hadn't heard about the Russian before, but I just did a Google search, and it came up with Maria Butyrskaya. However, although she was featured in Playboy in November 1998, from the photos I can find, everything was covered up.

Well done Maria! You do a topless shoot with Playboy, but don't actually let anything be seen! I like your style! Very classy!

Call me old-fashioned, but I don't particularly like the idea of sports stars doing naked shoots. It just seems like attention seeking.

I am just dreading the day that any of my current favourite skaters decide to go down that route...

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Olympia]

When Katarina first competed in the Olympics in 1984 in Sarajevo, she was known on American TV as a Brooke Shields lookalike, which was a rather imprecise shorthand for "gee, she's hot!" She got innumerable marriage proposals in the mail and a public declaration of love from skier Alberto Tomba (aka Tomba la Bomba). I think the general thought in those days was that driven East German athletes all looked kinda like boys and never smiled. Imagine everyone's surprise when Witt showed up.

I'm the wrong gender to ask about topless Playboy photos; to me they're just tasteless, but then I'm not the target audience. Glad to hear that Butyrskaya found a way to be more modest.