Is figure skating a women's sport? | Golden Skate

Is figure skating a women's sport?

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mathman444

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Is figure skating a women's sport?

Is figure skating a women's sport?

In her recently published book Culture on Ice, Dr. Ellyn Kestnbaum critically examines the theory espoused by feminist writers of the 1970s that the essence of figure skating is that it presents to the dominant male "gaze" a bevy of submissive female beauties whose worth is validated by the extent to which they exhibit the disempowering quality of "gazed-upon-ness." Thus when men preen and pose before an audience, be they ever so virile and macho, they are assuming the passive female role by presenting their bodies as objects to be looked upon.

This raises two questions:

(a) Does the figure skating establishment, in particular through judging panels, reward female skaters who represent and reinforce societal norms as to what constitutes the feminine ideal?

(b) What strategies are available to male skaters to counter this feminizing, hence devaluing, view of their sport.

Mathman
 
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eltamina

Guest
Re: Is figure skating a women's sport?

OMG, this is serious stuff, so if we haven't read the book are we able to participate in an intelligent discussion?

What is gazed-upon-ness?
You mean eye candy?

I hate to mention specific skaters, but I am going to. Kat Witt is a tough competitior, and on competitive ice I don't think she presented anything "submissive". Was Roz more of "submissive beauty"?

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>What strategies are available to male skaters to counter this feminizing, hence devaluing, view of their sport[/quote]

Challenge the hockey guys to a skating match. I think figure skaters have better edges, and overall speed. Didn't Kristi beat Bret in some speed competition?

Add a collison competition, and we are set, I bet some figure skating girls can beat the hockey guys in this area too.
 
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Dee4707

Guest
Re: Is figure skating a women's sport?

<span style="color:blue;font-family:verdana;font-size:x-small;">Funny, we had this dicussion at lunch one day. Actually, not it being a women's sport but just a sport in general. Primarily it was being critiqued by the supposed macho males that I work with (ha,ha). When I talked about some of the training all the skaters go through you could see they didn't realize the tremendous amount of training and skill it takes to be a skater.

In answer to your question, is it a women's sport, my answer is --- <strong>I think not!! </strong> Thank God for the males who are manly enough, if you will, to become figure skaters. Like someone said not only for the pure joy of the sport but the eye candy is so delicious.:smokin: :evil:

Dee</span>
 
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Joesitz

Guest
Re: Is figure skating a women's sport?

From my perspective, there are some men who enjoy figure skating, but they are in a small minority. Wives have said that husbands do not object to watching figure skating (they like to see the girls in their short skirted outfits). But they are firm during major sports teams as the program to watch.

Joe
 
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Show 42

Guest
Re: Is figure skating a women's sport?

Joe, I would think that part of the disparity here is in the "upbringing"....boys are raised watching rough and tumble
team sports as opposed to figure skating, synchronized swimming, etc., those sports which lend themselves to power, and not beauty and grace............as to the question posed, definitely, figure skating lends itself to women a great deal and therefore is a "woman's sport".......42
 
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Skate Sandee

Guest
Re: Is figure skating a women's sport?

Didn't Kristi beat Bret in some speed competition? >>

No. But Bret did say in an interview that if they both had to race around a rink, he'd be ahead of her for a 10-lap race, but that she'd last longer and beat him after 20 laps. For figure skating, it's about endurance. Many people forget that hockey players may move fast, but they're not on the ice that long at any given time, and a lot of time is spent in what I call "idle" mode (like idling a car). Four minutes of continuous controlled skating is not easy for a hockey player to do.
 
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Bleuchick

Guest
Good question

Is figure skating a women's sport?

In her recently published book Culture on Ice, Dr. Ellyn Kestnbaum critically examines the theory espoused by feminist writers of the 1970s that the essence of figure skating is that it presents to the dominant male "gaze" a bevy of submissive female beauties whose worth is validated by the extent to which they exhibit the disempowering quality of "gazed-upon-ness." Thus when men preen and pose before an audience, be they ever so virile and macho, they are assuming the passive female role by presenting their bodies as objects to be looked upon.

This raises two questions:

(a) Does the figure skating establishment, in particular through judging panels, reward female skaters who represent and reinforce societal norms as to what constitutes the feminine ideal?

I think so. And don't forget the 'perfect white teeth' syndrome recently brought up when refering to Xue Shen in the year 2002-2003. It looks like everybody has an idea of what a female skater should look like. The judges are just doing what the skating population is doing.

Isn't it ironical that no one in the figure skating establishment seems to make a big fuzz about what a male skater should look like. Okay, I will take back the 'no one' part and say the 'skating establishment' is not as vocal about the male skater as it is about the female skater. Is there an establishment vocal about the way the male skater is presented in skating? yes, the larger sport population outside skating.


(b) What strategies are available to male skaters to counter this feminizing, hence devaluing, view of their sport.

1. drop the sequins.
2. copy Elvis - music and style or come up with something totally different but still manly.


Back to the question, to me figure skating is not a female sport but it is feminized. Two different things.

Til later ;)
 
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Princess Leppard 625

Guest
Re: Good question

<span style="color:purple;font-family:georgia;font-size:x-small;">The day male figures skaters start skating like Elvis is the day I stop watching....

I like Elvis, but I <em> love</em> Evgeni, Alexei and Alexander Abt, and I would hate to see them karate-chopping their way around the rink.

cheers,

Laura :) </span>
 
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Bleuchick

Guest
Re: Good question

Laura - I knew someone was going to mention Elvis+karate. That is why I said 'something else' beside Karate. There must be other styles other than karate.
 
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heyang

Guest
Re: Good question

Didn't figure skating start as a predominantly Men's sport? I got the book, but haven't had time to start it.
 
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Ladskater

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Re: Is figure skating a women's sport?

mathman444:

One might ask is ballet exclusively for women? What about the great male dancers? Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov for example.

Most male skaters try to find a style that is their own. Some do emulate ballet dancers while others like Elivs are completely athletic. Kurt is often compared to Gene Kelly - who was a very masculine dancer!

No, I don't think figure skating is a women's sport. Some of the greatest figure skaters are male. After all they are the ones who can execute the quads and the triple axels. When the ladies start taking over this area maybe then we will consider it exclusively a women's sport.


Ladskater
 
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mathman444

Guest
Re: Is figure skating a women's sport?

It is interesting to me that discussions of "masculinity" in figure skating always turn to Elvis Stojko. When I watched Elvis compete against Alexei Urmanov in 1994, I thought that Elvis was gay (in a kind of leather bar sort of way), and that Alexei, despite his effiminate affectations, was straight. I guess I was wrong about Elvis and right about Alexei (now a happily married man and a proud papa).

Mathman
 
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Joesitz

Guest
Re: Is figure skating a women's sport?

Show - Absolutely. The upbringing is important. However not all boys and girls are brought up the same way.

It's only my theory but certain children are fascinated with themselves. This is said in a good context. The boy or girl that enjoys solving math problems as a hobby for example.

In more athletic sports, think of the Diver as opposed to the Second Baseman. There is, imo, a certain wish for certain children to prove themselves and without team participation. This could be because of the parents or perhaps, a gene thing.

And those Long Distance Runners.... How lonely is the distance?:cool:

Mathman - I love your juxtaposition of Stoyko and Umanov. Being a Newyorker, I have been inside both leather and drag queen establishments. It' all so "Leather and Lace".:rollin:

Joe
 
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Dee4707

Guest
Re: Is figure skating a women's sport?

<span style="color:fuchsia;font-family:verdana;font-size:x-small;"><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>1. drop the sequins.
2. copy Elvis - music and style or come up with something totally different but still manly.[/quote]
Why would wearing sequins not be a manly thing? Do European men not worry so much about being feminine as much as the Western American men do? Should there be a question as to why maybe American men are afraid of their feminine side?

Dee</span>
 
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mathman444

Guest
Re: Is figure skating a women's sport?

Dee, I think that the reason that wearing sequins is considered unmanly in the Western/Anglo Saxon/American tradition is this: Adorning your body in order to look pretty (and what other reason could there be to wear sequins except to look pretty) -- has historically been associated with women. Women pretty up, men don't. (This is not true in every culture, of course. In much of Africa, for instance, it's the other way around.)

Anyway, in the United States (and I think generally in the English speaking world), it seems sissy for a man to spend a lot of time in front of a mirror trying to look good. This is why, for instance, body building is widely regarded as a "gay sport."

Mathman
 
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MasterF

Guest
Re: is skating a women's sport

Everyone seems to have very good comments. As a former male skater and father of two male skaters this question has always been on my mind. When I started skating I never saw it as a boy thing or girl thing to do. I was fascinated by the feeling of flight. It wasn't until two years later that it became obvious to me that skaters were predominantely girls( I skated mostly in public sessions). By then it was too late to stop. I was an addict (true, i could never brag in school about my first double jump). I was always very careful as to the type of costumes i wore, or the kinds of programs i skated. I never cared much for the really flashy outfits. finding a role model wasn't so difficult. The skaters of my young life were Charlie Tickner, David Santee, Scott Hamilton, and Robin Cousins (a pretty good bunch of guys). My parents never really had an opinion about my skating, they paid for it and always attended my competitions. As to answer the question, Who gives a rat's ass? It your feet scream for Ice give them Ice
 
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Joesitz

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Re: is skating a women's sport

As to the sequins bit. Girls do look prettier with all that glitter reflecting on their faces.

As for boys, the sequins are ok if they are done with taste and not for reflecting on their faces. Imo, Russian boys are costume wacky. But that's just my taste.
 
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Bleuchick

Guest
Re: is skating a women's sport

Thanks Mathman - for such a primo explaination of all things sequins. I am not going to add more to it other than saying, Dee, I hope he answered your question.

Mathman - you know what...I thought both Elvis and Alexei styles were 1000% straight. :( after all these years, did I miss something?8o
 
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Ladskater

Guest
Re: Is figure skating a women's sport?

Kurt Browning - who started out playing hockey - says he started figure skating to improve his skating skills ( a lot of Canadian males do that) and to meet girls!

As for the comment about Elvis - he is not gay - he has a girl friend. Also, he says his skating is not about the balletic side of skating it's about the athletic side.

I don't think about the skaters private lives (that's why it is called "private") just like I don't think about any of the great composers being gay - I just enjoy their music. It's the same with skating. I don't have to know - nor do I want to.

Ladskater
 
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DJStuCrew

Guest
Re: Is figure skating a women's sport?

I take it this question is asking for a generalization, along the lines of, "Is Steel Magnolias a chick flick?" If not, it's kind of silly.

First, there are male skaters, so no, it's not a "women's sport." Secondly, there are male fans, such as myself, even if we are a minority. So again, no.

Lastly, I might say that even if it were, then what's wrong with that? There certainly are enough sports for men, why shouldn't the ladies have one? (Just hope they don't mind us male fans!)

GO SHOCK!!!
 
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