She looks great but she doesn't have great carriage. I know she is y oung but she does not walk the swagger in these photos. Great outfts but a beautiful confident person can wear jeans and a button down shirt and have a glow, a glamour about them.
We are a very shallow society sometimes. And Gracie has the face.
But in 2014-2016 Gracie did have quite a few sponsorship deals - She and Ashley both worked with Covergirl, Gracie was featured on the United Airlines, Gracie had RedBull, she even was invited to Japan for a makeup line there. Gracie did and does have more of the it factor that attracts sponsors. She is currently sponsored by Julep, as I know has been discussed in here and was obvious with all of the merch she was wearing. They did photo shoots and other promos right after nationals in NYC. They had a skate with Gracie at Bryant park. And Gracie's story is good. In some ways skating is hard to predict. I think that in 2016 most assumed that the 2018 Olympic team would be the same as the 2014 team. Gracie and Ashley were at their peak, and in the beginning of 2016 at Nationals and after Polina was on the rise. Even after Gracie faltered in her World Long program, I don't think anyone could have predicted the next several years in her life, and it seemed like losing Gracie, Ashley lost her fire too. I think that the competition between the two with Polina nipping at their heals and a young Karen right below her inspired Gracie and Ashley to fight harder and train harder. So Yes, Bradie and MAriah and Alysa could be the team in 2022, but also it could be a drastically different roster. It could be Gracie in the mix, it could be Hanna Harrel or Ting, it could be Amber Glenn, or it could be someone that we don't even really have on our radar right now. But if Gracie makes the team in 2022, she would be media Gold, and I wouldn't even be surprised to see a made for TV (or made for Netflix) movie of her story. Because she's got a good story. And she's got a good face and she has a good name too, made for this sport. I remember maybe it was 2016 nationals or even a few years earlier, but they showed pictures from Gracie and Ashley's social media of them in snow - kind of how I spent my christmas break, and Ashley's was sexy like a hottub in the snow in a bikini and Gracie was in this cute big sweater, and it was adorable and wholesome and 100% girl next door. So they had the brash outspoken a little wild Ashley and then they had girl next door Gracie (at least that was what was portrayed in the media, I do l know that Gracie in real like is very sarcastic.) But they had media gold with the pair and then Polina was the threat to them. Like movie/tv gold.
I think why Michelle did so much better than Tara or Sarah was that she had longevity that they didn't have. She was on the radar to go in 1994, and was training to go in case Tonya didn't. (I remember watching her on the news during all of that hoop la). And then she barely missed gold to her fellow country woman, while being at the time the greatest in the world, and then Tara retired, and we still had Michelle who was still expected to win gold where ever she went. And then four years later, Michelle was still amazing and she lost to Sarah who had a lights out skate. But Sarah was considered the 3rd on the team, and she skated an amazing skate and won gold. And that was a cool underdog story, but it can't beat Michelle's longevity in the sport. And then she petitioned to be on the team in 2006 and was granted the spot because well... she was Michelle Kwan. She didn't skate, but that is 4 Olympic cycles that she was in the media for, in contention for gold in most of them. Of course the media recognizes her. She had that "it" factor and she stayed a round. I mean I still have my Olympic Barbie that has Tara on the back, but Michelle had so much longer in the spot to establish herself and make it so that she was unforgettable.
