Grace Gold - too princessy? | Page 7 | Golden Skate

Grace Gold - too princessy?

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
I think she's fallen into the trap of thinking, "I'm on stage, I need bold make up to stand out," when, in reality, a pink lipstick, scaling back a little on the eyebrow pencil, and wearing a lower bun/French twist would soften her look and really give her a much more classic look.

Her hair as she wears it now reminds me of this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granny_(Looney_Tunes)

She has got to change it.
 

louisa05

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 3, 2011
So which princess did she come off as?

This one?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3vZxiNLnL...slwTTsioMc/s1600/Princess+Mary+of+Denmark.jpg

Or maybe this one?

http://www.princess-diana-remembered.com/uploads/5/3/3/5/5335384/1760299_orig.jpg

Perhaps one of these two? http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/8b/30/e5/8b30e5d56c183513302349265105c4b4.jpg

Or this one (though she does not use that title)?

http://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/615x1000.jpg

Can we retire the word "princess" to refer to a skater looking feminine or skating to ballet music?
 

jennyanydots

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 1, 2013
I must be the only one who thinks the high ballet bun is cute and I think she pulls off the red lipstick okay. Didn't anyone notice Ashley with the high bun and red lips as well? Anyways it's kind of hilariously that being pretty and looking put together is being considered a flaw. It may come across a bit manufactured but it is a performance. She may feel being made-up helps get her into the performance and there's nothing wrong with that.
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
I must be the only one who thinks the high ballet bun is cute and I think she pulls off the red lipstick okay.

You're not the only one. ;) I saw nothing wrong with Gracie's makeup and hairstyle either, and thought it looked elegant; to me it wasn't overdone in any way.
 

Tavi...

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 10, 2014
I actually really enjoyed Gracie's All that Jazz in SOI Chicago a few weeks ago - it is quite upbeat & she had great energy. I saw a clip of an older short program that had a lot of fast footwork & again she performed with great energy & enjoyment. Neither of those performances was perfect - if I recall she fell once in the Chicago program & her arms in the other program weren't great. But overall I really enjoyed both because she was enjoying herself & it showed. My sense with this year's programs was that either they didn't resonate with her, or that she was under pressure b/c it was a high stakes Olympic year, she had just changed coaches, etc. When she did relax at the end of her LP at nationals (sandra bezic: look at her, she can't contain herself) she no longer seemed plastic & princessy to me. I think she's got a lot of talent & really hope she & her team are able to showcase it better in the coming year.
 

Alba

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 26, 2014
Let's agree to disagree. I don't think body type determines if one can be seen as sassy or with attitude on the ice.

It does though because it does have to do with body lines as well. Can you see Irina or Harding doing a Swan lake, no matter how hard they could try?
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 19, 2011
I must be the only one who thinks the high ballet bun is cute and I think she pulls off the red lipstick okay. Didn't anyone notice Ashley with the high bun and red lips as well? Anyways it's kind of hilariously that being pretty and looking put together is being considered a flaw. It may come across a bit manufactured but it is a performance. She may feel being made-up helps get her into the performance and there's nothing wrong with that.

I didn't mind the hairstyle or makeup. It was classic elegance, not overdone, and worked well. I think her bun would be better if she did it like the way the dancers do it because it looks fuller and can be styled a little more. But her makeup and everything works fine with her skin tone and features.

I don't consider looking nice a flaw. My pageant/princessy remarks speak more to the way she presents herself, not from a visual standpoint (i.e. her hair or makeup), but from the way she performs on the ice. I do prefer the pageant smile to her skating around stone faced but she's going to have to find something authentic to tap into when she skates so that she can actually convey the tone/mood/feeling of the music and connect with it as well as the audience/judges.

Gracie has improved but her presentation is rather plastic: it looks nice but it's fake. The same issue exists as before where she doesn't feel what she's doing. She's taking better direction from Lori/Frank and delivering the movements better, but it still looks like someone told her, "do your arm like this, then tilt your head and smile." It's still very rehearsed-looking.

She's better than she was a year ago, but she still has a long way to go. Nearly all of the Russians (Sotnikova, Lipnitskaya, Radionova) and both Americans (Wanger, Edmunds) are better at delivering the choreography than Gracie is.
 

louisa05

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 3, 2011
I must be the only one who thinks the high ballet bun is cute and I think she pulls off the red lipstick okay. Didn't anyone notice Ashley with the high bun and red lips as well? Anyways it's kind of hilariously that being pretty and looking put together is being considered a flaw. It may come across a bit manufactured but it is a performance. She may feel being made-up helps get her into the performance and there's nothing wrong with that.

A relative of mine, who lives to rant about things that do not really matter, spent two days during the Olympics posting on Facebook about how much she hated the skaters' make-up. Considering her own poor choices in that department, she should not have been saying a word, but aside from that, I told her this: their make-up is done for the benefit of the crowd in the arena, not the television cameras. As such, it often does not look right on television. That was something I realized attending Nationals in 2013--my first ever live competition. I did not notice all the weirdness of make-up that I always notice on television. It all looked fine from the stands.

That said, Gracie wears that same red lipstick off the ice quite often. It isn't red that is the problem, it is that she needs a slightly different, warmer shade of red. But I also wouldn't want anyone judging the choices I made at her age. It was the 80s, heaven help us!!!
 

Alba

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 26, 2014
I told her this: their make-up is done for the benefit of the crowd in the arena, not the television cameras. As such, it often does not look right on television. That was something I realized attending Nationals in 2013--my first ever live competition. I did not notice all the weirdness of make-up that I always notice on television. It all looked fine from the stands.

I think that's true also for the costumes. Johnny and Tara while picking the best and worse said that some of them doesn't look good on the picture or television but they look great on the arena.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Personally, I see Polina as being a big threat to Gracie next year. She's got all of the technical content and then some, plus she's pretty consistent. I think Polina trumps Gracie when it comes to feeling the music, performing and connecting with the audience/judges.

:eek: Wow, you think so??? Ok...

A strong GP season from Polina, and Gracie may have her hands full at nationals next year.

Hmm. Only if because Gold will be in the position of defending her title and will likely leave the door open...
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
The issue here with Gold is that it appears (to me) that she is trying really hard to be something she is not. If she could pull off "princessy", well, fine. This thread then wouldn't exist. But her skating style to me is more of a power skater, a "look at what I can do" type of skater. She needs a vehicle that allows her to showcase that and last season's programs failed big time in that regard. However, at the end of the day, she'll get points as long as she lands her jumps. That should be top priority...getting comfortable enough so she doesn't fall apart when a medal is within her grasp. I know, easier said than done.


I must be the only one who thinks the high ballet bun is cute and I think she pulls off the red lipstick okay. Didn't anyone notice Ashley with the high bun and red lips as well? Anyways it's kind of hilariously that being pretty and looking put together is being considered a flaw. It may come across a bit manufactured but it is a performance. She may feel being made-up helps get her into the performance and there's nothing wrong with that.

I normally don't comment on the fashion stuff because it doesn't matter...but I want to say that I don't think the look is the problem. As you point out Wagner had a similar look yet made it work for her skate. Essentially it comes down to the movements made on the ice. As long as you can sell a program - and that's the one thing Wagner still does better than Gold IMHO - and land your jumps, the other stuff handles itself.

Because Gold appears to be mismatched, she invites more scrutiny.

Personally, less is more. But it's not really a big deal to me otherwise. just land the jumps.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
:eek: Wow, you think so??? Ok...



Hmm. Only if because Gold will be in the position of defending her title and will likely leave the door open...

I think Polina does trump Gold in terms of connecting with the audience in her SP particularly. Gold doesn't connect with the audience in either program very much, IMO. Gold does however connect with her music better than Polina does in her FS. I love Edmunds' connection with her music in her SP though, particularly some of her twizzles that go with the music. I actually hadn't realized how complex her SP was until I re-watched it a few times. If she were a more popular skater, she should have cracked top 5, IMO.
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
The issue here with Gold is that it appears (to me) that she is trying really hard to be something she is not. If she could pull off "princessy", well, fine. This thread then wouldn't exist. But her skating style to me is more of a power skater, a "look at what I can do" type of skater. She needs a vehicle that allows her to showcase that and last season's programs failed bug time in that regard. However, at the end of the day, she'll get points as long as she lands her jumps. That should be top priority...getting comfortable enough so she doesn't fall apart when a medal is within her grasp. I know, easier said than done.

I mostly agree with you. The problem is, pulling off "power skater" is a big risk. One has to nail the technical elements and skate with conviction. If she misses the jumps and doesn't have a safe, conservative program to fall back on, she hasn't much to offer.
 

kwanatic

Check out my YT channel, Bare Ice!
Record Breaker
Joined
May 19, 2011
:eek: Wow, you think so??? Ok...

110%, I do think so. Polina's SP was energetic and fun and she brought that energy to her performance. As for the FS, Polina has more natural flow and grace in her movements than Gracie, so that gives her the upper hand when it comes to pulling off that kind of music. The program wasn't all that great but her delivery of it and connection to her music/choreography was lovely. There was nothing forced or pageant-like about Polina's FS. It all seemed very natural and flowed easily. I can't say the same for Gracie's FS...it was a horrible choice of music for her style of skating. They did what they could with it but I still think that program was a big dud. She connected better in her SP though so at least there's that.

Gracie tends to connect w/ the audience in her exhibition programs very well, but exhibitions and competitions can't be compared side by side. She has it in her somewhere; they just need to find the right vehicle for her.

Hmm. Only if because Gold will be in the position of defending her title and will likely leave the door open...

Well that's always a possibility. I was speaking more in terms of if Polina has a stellar season on the GP that will give her momentum coming into nationals. If Gracie succumbs to the defending jitters, Polina does have enough firepower to capitalize on that and possibly sneak in for the title. A lot of that will be dependent on whether or not Gracie has a good GP season. She's due for one at this point. Her first two have been sub par for someone with her talent. She's much more put together now so this next season is definitely her season but it won't be a cakewalk. There is plenty of competition coming from all sides so she's going to have to really step it up.
 

desertskates

Medalist
Joined
Nov 19, 2013
I must be the only one who thinks the high ballet bun is cute and I think she pulls off the red lipstick okay. Didn't anyone notice Ashley with the high bun and red lips as well?

I did notice the same about Ashley. I think her bun doesn't bug me as much because it pulled up a little more softly and isn't perfectly doughnut shaped. And I don't like the lipstick of either girl. The funny thing is, I never noticed the matte red on either of them before. And now they have Cover Girl contracts. I wonder if there is some connection there?
 
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