Ice Skater’s Attire: Appropriate?
So what if we changed the outfits a bit? How about a just-below-the-knee length flowy skirt and a short sleeved modest top…what then? Well, certain poses (such as the one below) would inevitably become more difficult and possibly even hazardous for the skater.
I can grasp why it’s rather important for figure skaters to wear tighter and less inhibiting clothing. For them, being able to move their legs freely without restrictive clothing is essential to their performance. Though I’ve never done figure skating, I have done a bit of gymnastics and ballet in the past, and I know that loose t-shirts, loose pants, or even longer flowy skirts can not only get in the way of doing many things, but can also many times be immodest. For example, cartwheels and un-tucked t-shirts don’t mix well!
So how far is too far? Should what we consider modest waver based on circumstances? What do you think?
Sincerely,
Miss S.
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No, what they wear is immodest. I don’t think it really matters whether there is a valid reason or not. (which, in this case there probably is like you mentioned!) This might come out strange or sound weird, but in cases like this I understand why they are dressing immodestly with the short skirts but I still can’t condone myself dressing that way no matter the circumstances I’m in. If I cannot do it dressed modesty, then I probably just shouldn’t do it.
arielles last blog post..Sunshine & Lens Flare…
Well, I still think they could do a lot better. There are plenty of more modest leotards, with skirts, even if they aren’t as long as what we’d wear on the street. That one that you posted, combined with her pose, is just terrible. It makes me think, “The poor dear.”
God bless,
Hannah
Hannah L.s last blog post..Jonathan Park Giveaway! Come one, come all…
Well, a lot of athletes “have to” dress immodestly. Track runners do – and of course, swimmers…In the ice skaters, I think their outfits are often not only practical but they are dressing to impress – judges, audience, etc. I wonder how the athlete sees their focus – as being the performance of their body or the LOOK of their body? Perhaps it could be both?! I am NOT an athlete so I have no idea. I do wonder if a true, modest girl were an ice skater or track runner or tennis player, if there were more modest attire available for their sport – less clingy, not so short, tops not so low, etc….that would be a nice alternative to showing off everything besides just the muscles, etc that are the focus of the sport. Interesting thoughts….and lastly, when a man watches – say above shown ice skater – is he seeing her performance as a whole or is he seeing her body only?
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Conny, do you think we should wear something like this Muslim woman is wearing for track?
http://williamlobdell.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/muslim-runner.jpg
Also, for the excuses- just look at this website, scroll down the page. http://peacethought.com/hijab.htm I would point out that the same Muslim woman is WINNING in one of those photos, so saying that more clothing is restricting is a crock.
I’m in track, and I try to run with UnderArmor on to at least cover up a little bit more. ( I’m the one in all black: http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i269/Readalfa/Me/gahilooksostupid-1.jpg) I’m trying to figure out where to get a little bit looser UnderArmor (it’s too tight for my comfort) but right now I don’t have to worry about it. A lot of the girls on my team roll up their shorts to make them shorter, but I don’t (it’s uncomfortable to me). I would quit track if they make us wear uniforms that have basically bikini bottoms. As it is right now, we wear shorts. (And it looks like this: http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i269/Readalfa/Me/runninthe3-1.jpg)
Miss S….thanks for tackling this issue. I was a competitive figure skater for about a decade and can say that you are absolutely correct- clothes that would be considered modest for streetwear would not only make skating difficult, but would also make it extremely dangerous for the skater. I am actually about to do my own blog post on this same topic- situational modesty. I’m interested to see what people have to say about yours!
You’re absolutely right, they are immodest. Same with gymnasts. If a profession or sport causes a lady to show off what God has instructed us NOT to show off, then we must decline from such activity.
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I am a skater myself, and I should decline from doing the sport I LOVE and have spent years and tens of thousands of dollars on because I have to wear a short skirt in competition a few times a year? This makes me immodest, and unladylike? God hates me now? You need a serious reality check. We’re athletes and we have to wear what is needed in our sport.
Kimmie’s dress in the photo isn’t immodest. It’s a SKATING COSTUME, with tights on underneath, and illusion fabric. She’s not out there in a bra top and thong. There are RULES in our sport that our costumes cannot be too revealing or immodest, or else we can get deductions. Maybe people should educate themselves on our sport a little bit before passing JUDGMENT on what we wear and do.
Until any of you who have never skated get your [butts] out on the ice and fall and bruise and bleed and train like we do, you have NOTHING to say!
[Edited to remove personal attacks and for language.]
I would argue that talking about what a person wears is separate from the amount of work or amount of times that people fall on the ice. The issue here is not whether an individual figure skater is working hard– they are– or whether they’re doing things that most people could not do– again, they are. The question is more about situational modesty using a good illustration– how does one maintain modesty in a sport where it would be dangerous to use the normal standards and yet participate.
I appreciate that there are standards for costumes, but since cultures have differing standards on the topic (I’m not sure I’ve seen that many Arab countries competing), the question is relevant.
Also, I would argue that illusion fabric is granting the illusion of skin, and therefore really doesn’t help your argument.
Thank you!!! I don’t think it’s immodest either. I’m am a Christian and am highly against immodesty too!!! Clothing like that is required to reach our height in the performance. A longer shirt could be dangerous. Jumps would also be harder because the long shirt is not aerodynamic, it would be dragging behind us. The short skirts help us. She is right, you don’t know what you are talking about until you get out there and train like we do!! There is nothing wrong with this.
If you think that figure skaters are just doing that to show off their bodies you are dead wrong. We put a lot of work into those programs. It’s not just merely a show about dancing girls trying to show off their bodies, like a strip show or something!!!
Just to prove it to you, in ice dancing a short skirt is not required, therefor they where long skirts.
Just another thought-
When I was skating my parents didn’t allow me to wear skimpy skating costumes. Mine always had sleeves and skirts without a slit up the leg like the one that is shown. They were never low cut and didn’t have an open back.
Yes, skating outfits have to be tight to the body as well as short to keep from injury and to allow for maximum movement, but they DON’T have to be as suggestive as this one is. The motion she is caught in in the first photo is also suggestive. Figure skating doesn’t HAVE to be suggestive at all…this particular skater is TRYING to make it that way.
Just wanted to make sure that those who are not involved in this sport know that it can be done without looking as suggestive as this particular photo. :)
I was a figure skater from about 7-13. I now do Martial Arts, where we wear the Dobok uniform. It was rather a change from skating. I am now 18. When we skated, we did wear short skirts, and sleeveless tops, and they *were* pretty tight. However, we did wear shorts, and *ALWAYS* a black leotard underneath. If our costumes had key holes in the back that covered it up. It does help to wear short things when skating, especially when you do leaps. There is a family in our church who only allows their daughters to wear skirts. Our family allows us to wear jeans, and shorts, and short (a few inches above the knee) skirts. . I understand your point of view, but we are all entitled to our own opinion. We are all Christ’s children, and we are called to love each other, not to be at war with one another!
There’s definitely a reason for wearing clothing items that don’t get in the way; however, I know that the fact that the clothing is skimpy is part of the reason that some guys tune in.
To me, it’s much like that “So you think you can dance” show. I would never watch it, even though I appreciate the physical difficulty of the activity, because of the costumes that they dancers wear– the women in particular.
Kristin, I agree! I wish I could get a photo and post what I imagine more modest ones looking like, because it doesn’t seem unreasonable to me. Even if the suit is tight, like it has to be, it doesn’t have to be THAT low, or THAT short, and certainly not THAT suggestive.
Hannah L.s last blog post..Jonathan Park Giveaway! Come one, come all…
Certainly. And having watched quite a bit of figure skating myself, I can say that I have seen non-suggestive routines, with beautiful, modest costumes. Yes, they were tight, and yes, the skirts were above the knee, but they certainly not like the photo above, with cutouts and illusion fabric and everything.
This is a photo of Nancy Kerrigan on the cover of Time Magazine:
http://www.cyberattic.com/stores/momentsintime/items/383450/catphoto.jpg
As you can see, the dress is long sleeved and is not low cut or suggestive. It is short and tight, but as we have already discussed that is necessary for the activity. (Although if her skirt were not flaring up because of her movement you might also notice that her skirt is much longer in this photo than most are today.) I’m not going to say whether or not it is okay to wear a costume like this one, but I DID want to show an example of a traditional skating costume to show the contrast with recent years. It wasn’t until the past decade or so that skaters began to TRY to be suggestive and provacative…prior to that the intention was to look feminine and delicate. In my opinion, the sport has taken a turn for the worse- skimpy costumes are not necessary. Short ones, yes…but dresses that look like bikinis? No.
I think you’re right, Kristin. As our culture has become more sexualized, we have become more interested in being sexual than being pure. So, whether it’s volleyball, skating or running, we’re now shooting to get the 18-20 yr old males interested in watching, and that means that the women end up being objects to be lusted after rather than skilled athletes.
And the sick part is that we get them ready for this earlier so that they don’t even see that there’s a difference. Everyone else is doing it, so they don’t even think that it would be in their advantage to not do it.
That Nancy Kerrigan suit was one of the most elegant ever. I remember she skated so beautifully, it was stunning. And she didn’t have to be immodest to charm us.
You all need to lighten up. She is not showing anything. Skaters body’s are beautiful. It is you all that are making it seem dirty by your judgement. Shame on you. Just an opinion from a professional skater! Lighten up!
9
Chaz,
Yes, skaters as well as other women do have beautiful bodies- but God intended those bodies to be viewed by our husbands, not the general public. While she may not be “showing anything” in a wordly sense, the world’s standards are not the same as God’s. As I stated above, the sport has become overly sexualized and it is not necessary to wear revealing, “sexy” clothing to have a captivating performance. (Words from a former competitive figure skater- me.)
-Kristin
So everybody should go by God’s standards whether or not they believe in him? Sorry. No. The world is not a theocracy. She is not showing anything. The bible has been around for hundreds of years and is now outdated. She is not showing her chest AT ALL, it’s not even underneath the illusion fabric, and she is far from showing anything close to her crotch. Remember, tights are opaque. So it’s like wearing pants, albeit nude colored ones.
Do you consider swim-suits to be immodest? Strange how people think it’s fine to wear a waterproof bra and panty with nothing underneath, yet they attack figure skaters who are wearing nude pants and a pretty dress.
The world may not be a theocracy now, but maybe it should be. Disobeying God’s rules is what sin is all about. That is why we need Jesus saving grace to bring us back into fellowship with God. Blessings.
I believe that it will eventually be a theocracy again, but I don’t believe that it can be now.
I agree that the sport has become a bit over-sexed (perhaps sometimes to say the very least).
I do believe it’s a bit unfair to judge someone’s modesty based on their dress and our perception of ‘how sexy’ we think they’re trying to be.
As a guy, I don’t find the dress immodest compared to some I’ve seen. Then again, I definitely have an entirely different perspective from most of the guys that will be sitting in an audience.
Do skaters need to rethink their outfits? We can leave that up to them.
Has ice-skating become an over-sexed sport? Unfortunately, yes.
Well, I can get passed the fact that girls are going to be in sports and athletic competition, instead of keeping the home, but their attire I can’t. I cannot sit there and watch the Olympics with swimmers and runners dressed in what only a bra and underwear would cover…. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE besides it being for that event? NOTHING. My opinion on this goes for all areas of our lives, including swimsuits. If you wouldn’t wear shorts as high as your suit-cover then you shouldn’t wear it at all. People are kidding themselves in these areas.
Did someone already cover the “well, the original Olympics were done nude?” line of defense yet?
Seriously, the way that these athletes are dressed is marketing. Until the male 18-25 demographic gets less important to sell ads, I’m certain that you’ll see as little clothing as possible.
Now, the whole thing with Speedo and the swimming clothing is interesting– because it turns out that a complete outfit can actually slow down water friction, so as to make one that’s clothed faster than someone that is not. So, I guess if you could find something that was similar in different sports– where they’d have to be clothed or else they’d lose– then you’d have a chance.
Football! You either wear pads or break your neck!
Unfortunately, they’ve even managed to sex this up with the “Lingerie Bowl” that happens at the same time as the Super Bowl.
Try again…
Sumo Wrestling!
;)
I don’t know if it’s modest but it certainly is beautiful. That being said there isn’t really much actual skin exposed.
In these times, women athletes do wear skimpy, short n tight attires…. Jus for the positive influence on their performance… But that doesn’t change the fact that their attire is immodest….
we can’t say… “it depends on circumstances”….
we have to admit showing off flesh is never modest…whether u do it on streets or Olympics….
Peace
I think the costume a skater wears defines the performance, and long dresses mean you can’t see your legs during spins and jumps. I myself wear a just above knee length skirt for practices and competions really depend on what my coach and I think will enhance the performance I give. Saying that I don’t think a performance should be judged on the outfit. You should wear what you feel comfortable in.
Peace and light,
Kelly, aged 12.
To sisterlisa and Kristin, if a person were a practicing “true Christen” thay would not be involved in any activity which promotes competition within it’s participants as it produces scripturally and spiritually unfruitful emotions, desires and contentions etc. The following scripture says it better then I can. (Galatians 5:25-26) 25 If we are living by spirit, let us go on walking orderly also by spirit. 26 Let us not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another, envying one another.
Zen
Ice skaters have outfits because when they compete in a competition it is much better to wear nice dresses and when you skate, it is much easier. I think changing there outfits wont be good for the skater as they will not feel comfortable while performing. Having a skirt just below the knee length is good but it should be loose to make free moves when they performed. In ice skater’s we cannot wear the street wear, as it will make extremely dangerous. We should no envy to one another competition; they should wear what they feel comfortable.
i would agree that figureskaters are a bit on the flamboyant side. but it is just the way the sport is. i mean im not sure when the sport started heading this way but for quite a while i can remember them all wearing skimpy outfits. but even if you just look at the world today you will see that its headed down the same road towards skimpyness.
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trust me…figure skating, gymnastics, volleyball, whatever…slit skirts, “underwear”, second-skin tights, etc. — there’s only one reason men are watching…women are so clueless about this…
Those of you who think figure skating attire is immodest are ignoring the fact that these are athletes. They’re not going out there to inflame the desires of men; they’re going out there to perform an extremely demanding series of athletic movements at maximum heartrate for several minutes. They have practices these moves for many hours every day of their young lives, many of them since before they can even remember. The object of the sport is to perform athletically demanding moves with style, elegance and artistry – and looking beautiful and wearing a costume that complements the music or story is part of the whole package. Kimmie Meissner, one of the most wholesome and hard-working skaters in the sport, won the world championships in this dress, and you who criticize the way she looks are being superficial, judgmental and disrespectful of her – of the years of training and the God-given talent that she realized here. How dare you minimize her achievements like this over your own narrow and misogynistic views? Looking at the horrible examples that surround young people today, Meissner is a role model and a beacon, giving a positive example to kids of hard work, dedication and achievement. As a Christian, I pity anyone who is so hung up on their petty and subjective ideas of female modesty that they lose all sense of proportion in their thinking. This is an athlete, for Heaven’s sake. Don’t you people have bigger problems to worry about?
Charlotte, I had a friend that was into figure skating, and I know that it was a lot of work. The competition requires skill, strength, agility and timing. Not only do you have to be technically perfect, but you also have to make it look easy– which is part that I never got because it is definitely difficult and for every triple axil that these ladies can do is a girl back home trying it because it looks so easy!
However, I would say that part of the package now is physical appeal as well. Though we’d like to think that women could be seen only for their work and dedication, what they wear, regardless of their reason, is still something that can be modest or immodest. Different outfits do have different reactions.
And that’s part of the discussion we’re having at this site– a discussion in which many people vary in sometimes extreme ways. Because, unfortunately, it’s not “what I thought when I put it on” that matters– it’s what’s being thought by those that see you.
I’m not sure what you expect to find on a site discussing modesty and clothing in this area– I’m not sure what “bigger problems” we should be worried about. Especially since this post is almost a year old.
Okay is this serious?
That is a normal skating dress that plenty of female skaters wear. The skirts need to be short to help movement. A longer skirt in freeskating doesn’t work. As a skating judge, I had to suggest to a skater one day that when she did a test in future to wear a shorter skirt. The one she wore for the test hid her legs and was quite distracting when she was doing particular elements.
Also as a judge, I never judge the skater on what they wear.
Maybe you should watch some ice dancing if you are looking for suggestive flesh displaying costumes that will really shock you.
However what concerns me are some of the extremely religious outdated notions (such as “women should be in the home and not doing sports”) comments posts by some of the respondents. That is what I find most frightening and are probably more harmful than anything that short skating dress will leave on impressionable young minds.
Willy, you’re probably right as far as the sexual quotient of the contests vs. what is seen normally in the culture. However, I’m fairly confident that there are not many men that are looking at the technical prowess of the individual.
However, it is perfectly appropriate for some people to have beliefs about societal roles of men and women– it is a free country after all.
I believe there was a fairly strong consensus, with even the original poster stating this, that shorter material is necessary for performing different maneuvers, and I do believe that some can cross the line.
This is all so weird………
Fred, women are not clueless about men watching sports where women wear skimpy clothing but as emancipated, free-thinking individuals we figure the competitors should wear what they feel comfortable in and if sad men want to ogle them then that it is up to them. It is no reflection on the women who have trained hard to get to the top of the sport if there are some strange men and women who are more interested in looking at their bodies rather than their expertise
There is responsibility with both sexes, I agree, but your logic only goes so far. No one, I believe, would state that the Olympics should be broadcast where the competitors were all in the nude– most decent people would feel awkward, though in ancient Greece this was the case. Societal norms are always at play in costume choices, and there will always be those in every area– not just sports– that will push the line to see how far it can go.
It is the woman’s choice what to wear and how much to show, and so I don’t believe that you can say that the costume choice is not a reflection on her. I’m sure there are options.
This would make for a better argument if it were someone other than Kimmie Meisner. A very shy, sweet girl who seems to be quite a “lady”! You guys DO realize that there is flesh colored material don’t you. that was either an opening or closing pose..cant remember which and no one ever thought it was too much (or little in this case). Back in the day Katarina wore too many revealing clothes..had breasts popping out all the time..but we all know her character. Kimmie is not such a person. Sorry to inform you, but using her and this as an example..your argument just does NOT hold water!
It was not our intention to showcase immodest clothing, but to ask the question in general. As you’ll see in the original post, the author simply asks the question about the sport in general, and does not reference the skater in particular. In fact, the original author goes so far as to state both reasons for an against.
In context of the discussion we were (since this post is almost a year old) and still are having at this site, we’re more asking the question of what is and what is not modest in different opinions, and many believe that skirts as high as the ones on skaters are immodest. So does the situation dictate whether something is modest or immodest?
As you can see, it’s still a subject of disagreement.
i just watched olympic figure skating and i’ve never seen so many women lift their leg above their head. it’s nothing but crotch shots. women would blush knowing their immodesty, but no one wants to acknowledge the obvious. here’s a novel concept – why don’t the women wear pants like the men – after all, women don’t wear dresses anymore anyways ;)
http://www.traditioninaction.org/Cultural/B009cpSkatingChampions.htm
what does it profit a woman to win the gold, but lose her soul
Agreed, I was just thinking the same thing after watching one to many crotch shots. Men figure skaters are fully covered some with leggings, some with pants. I use to love watching figure skating but lately it’s making me blush. I consider this soft porn.
Win a gold and loose your soul??? Are you for real??? You have to be kidding me. Wear pants???? Woman don’t wear dresses anymore??? All my friends do and they are lovely girls. I suppose you want women in Ballet to wear pants as well??? insane!!
Certainly, the question could have been asked about ballet clothing as well, though my only exposure to ballet has colored leggings more than skin colored or tan. But a valid point for the discussion.
I am a Christain and I design for skaters, I can see emotions run high here. I’ve seen things I would not feel comfortable making, but I would also encourage even the most modest among you, to not miss a momment of these performances distracted by the packaging. Would you discount a gift given in love because of the wraping paper is garish or too plain? I would challange you, when you want to see only that skimpy dress, not to miss the real gift and sacrifice that is being offered. These women are lead to use the very special gifts that are so lovely that only God could give them and they do it, intentionally or not to show us that all things are possible with his love. Take a still shot of me in my most “unflatering pose”(that would be in my momments of anger and judgement) and it makes me very happy to know God sees my life in a complete spectrum. My “whole program” as it were, not just what I wore today. What matters more to God her dress or the feeling the were able to share with millions http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-features/news/newsid=422380.html?__source=msnhomepage&cid=
I appreciate your comment, but the weird part is that whereas your anger and judgment may not be planned whereas the clothing that they choose is planned. I enjoy the technical aspects of figure skaters, and I appreciate their work. I’ve had friends that did it for a while. But the question here really isn’t about the character of the person as much as the question of whether there can be modesty while figure skating. It’s less about Kimmie, and more about the sport in general.
I’m quite baffled at the amount of criticism leveled at this discussion because we’re not attempting to enforce standards on anyone, just discussing how one rectifies a modest standard with a sport known for short skirts and tight clothing. A lot of people are reading in a lot to the conversation.
I think some costumes appear more skimpy than they are if you forget the thin material, illusion, is covering some skin. Even Johnny Weir’s costume for 2010 short has illusion in the deep “V” of his shirt. To answer your question, they are dressed for a performance to music, and it is okay with me.
Anger and judgement may take us by surprise, but you can usually count on them to show up…The important part is to not let them take root and consume us, by recognizing them for what they are.. distractions from what really matters how we treat each other. I see a woman in a long jean skirt and super conservative my instinct is that I cannot understand her, I have judged her based on the perception that she has judged me. That is most likley untrue, but won’t ever be honest with myself and know how wrong I am until I admit I’ve judged her based on appearances and know nothing of her light an gifts to the world. If you are watching skating you pretty much “plan” on seeing skating dresses, some you may not like. So are you watching to see the light and gifts or are you watching to judge?
Great comment, Carrie. It’s true that you don’t watch figure skating without knowing what you’re going to see– which is why there are some commenters that say that they don’t watch. To me, that’s a shame if that’s the reason they are avoiding it.
Since the day Sonja Henning came out wearing a +/- knee length skirt which showed her tights covered thighs when she twirled or lifted a leg high into the air, guys have been checking out female skaters beautiful figures. It’s how we’re wonderfully made. If an individual or group want to “keep looking so as to have a desire for illicit behavior”, well those are the same ones who would carry on a physical relationship with another person for the sake of their fleshly desire and could care less about the sanctity of marriage. It’s a shame that it’t so prevalent in the world today and that the number of single parent households is rivaling traditional two parent households in numbers in a lot of the world. It just reaffirms the scriptures written afore time for our instruction. It’s also unfortunate that so few in the world want to get a sense of those things which were inspired of God and written as an instruction manual(if you will)on inheriting everlasting life.
You know I was watching the amazing snow boarding last night. Just incredible, until I noticed the baggy pants falling down around their knees. I looked at my husband and said “Uggh That Shaun White is amazing but his pants are falling down!” My husband just patted me on the head and said that is one of the saddest things he’d ever heard me say…..he was right.
I agree that the outfits are too skimpy and figure skating is too sexualized as well as the crotch shots! I am uncomfortable watching this sport because of these issues which is too bad because I used to enjoy watching figure skating as a child until I realized that the women are showing too much of their bodies!
Just like “splort” stated earlier, why don’t the women wear pants like men? They do during practice so it doesn’t get in the way of their performance and it covers them properly. The illusion fabric is just that, an illusion of nakedness which is still suggestive and makes me uncomfortable.
Yes, there is skin-tone fabric where it appears to be only skin — and if you’re dancing in pairs, this will help with the guy you’re dancing with, but it doesn’t help with the audience. But I don’t think that the girls planned this to get the guys to look. To them, this is probably just what they wear because it’s what they wear, and I’m sure it varies with every girl. I’m not a skater like that, so I can’t know, but this is my opinion. I think pants for girl skaters would be a great solution, but it gives the idea of being masculine or . . . I don’t really know how to describe it. Negative. In this Olympics I saw a French couple, the lady wore a lovely costume with white tights and a perfectly modest, beautiful top. For the record, the guy didn’t have his shirt open either I don’t think. And the young lady in the picture — I have to agree, she’s been caught in a very unflattering moment. This is definitely a finishing pose, the arms stretched out creates the glory of the end.
There is a scripture about judging, and I know we have to be careful about that. Personally, I am fairly positive the gymnasts and skaters are not trying to be inapropriate. But their costumes are pretty (well, most of them) and work well for their sport. And as to the sport, it’s not evil! But some of the costumes definitely are NOT appropriate.
In Christ,
Elizabeth
I think it is amusing that people are uncomfortable with these “supposed” crotch shots. If the figure skaters are showing off their bare vaginas when lifting one leg above the head, then I would say yes Houston we have a problem. But this is not the case, is it? Men that have sex on the mind will become aroused by a skater lifting her leg over her head even if she’s wearing overalls. It’s the way men have been wired for ages and ages to come. I will concede that current outfits do accentuate that blessed area. Oh
the reason i found this post is that i am a mom and i am wondering about allowing my 4 6 and 8 year old girls to watch ballet and figure skating. we watched a bit of swan lake earlier this eve. and the crotch shots were embarassing as was unbelievable tightness of the male pants. i love the grace and athleticism but am distracted by the way bodies are accentuated. it seems to me that with figure skating and ballet there is a component of aesthetic artistic appeal regarding skin and costumes that are not modest in my view. Perhaps ballroom dancing as well and slightly gymnastics though not as much. the athleticism of female soccer players cannot be denied, but there is not that artistic costume and skin focus. i think it is insulting personally for those ice skaters who work so hard with blood sweat and tears and are so athletic to add this shallow beauty contest costume aspect to the judging. would they probably lose points if they wore simple spandex capris or bike shorts instead of crotch showing “illusion of skin” costumes. can you imagine mia hamm getting denied a win because her soccer uniform wasn’t pretty enough? i think the eye popping costumes take away from the athleticism of the sport and make it a broadway show. some of us want to celebrate your amazing abilities and accomplishments without being forced to view your skin or illusion of skin. it is a distraction and i don’t want my kids to see crotch shots as an example of beauty and grace. crotch shots are vulgar and unladlylike. it is a shame because we would so love to watch ice skating and ballet. i hope i don’t offend anyone. we all have standards to live by and i am just sharing mine respectfully.
Half of points are given for presentation. This includes COSTUME***, music, choreography etc. COSTUME. It is A COSTUME. Do not compare it to street clothes. The skaters have to wear pretty, daring outfits to get points. Stop going on with the “oh, figure skaters only want men’s attention, it’s a sexualized sport.” Did you forget the points system? Oh, right, you don’t know it, because you don’t know skating. I don’t see anyone ragging on Michael Phelps for wearing Speedos, which are far more inappropriate than figure skating costumes. Only his skin is underneath it! Figure skaters have underwear or a body liner, one, sometimes two pairs of tights, and then the costume over their skin down there.
Oh, and they can’t wear shorts instead of the bikini-like part underneath the skirt because it would ride up and impede skating. Women just don’t like pants as much. It doesn’t present as nicely. That’s why not many competitors wear pants. But they’re more convenient to practice in.
A modest, short-sleeved top is boring and goes with any music. Top skaters like Kimmie need to catch the judge’s attention with a sparkly, pretty outfit and poses. The poses aren’t sexual. They are just attention poses. Go look at lower level skaters. They have the same skirts, but not as much illusion fabric and not the same outfit cuts, because they don’t need as much sparkle and attention to get presentation points. You people judge on what you see on TV. Please go learn how to skate and watch a few Basic Skills rink competitions.
i love to see women that is doing some figure skating , they are really beautiful and gracefull…*
I always wanted to be a figure skater. But one of the reasons I never did was because of the dress. I could never figure out how I could dress modestly and skate. I did see one figure skater do a performance in jeans and she was fair modest, but something like that wouldn’t be the best for all the time. It wasn’t nearly as pretty and elegant as usual.
#Feb2011NCARating
When we did gymnastics in physical education back when I was in high school, there was this girl who was a senior at the time who assisted the regular teachers with instruction during gymnastics. What I still remember about her is that every day, she would come to gym class wearing leotards that were apparently a size or two too small for her, because she evidently did not own a pair that could cover her butt. Every day, she was out there for an hour in that gymnasium wearing leotards that left her butt cheeks exposed. I was really surprised that no one ever complained about her bare bottom, and that the gym teachers apparently never asked her to cover herself. She was allowed to come to gym class wearing leotards that were either too small for her, or cut too high on her butt, because she was always exposing herself whenever she wore leotards. And she almost never corrected it when it rode high on her butt. And this was back in 1979, when that look was not yet common. She soon became known for her bare butt (yes, all the guys, including me, were looking at her), and she was attending my church back about that time!
My nieces want to be competitive roller skaters, but we are a very traditional family. It seems to that all of the skating costumes on the market today are too reveling for our taste. I found a company up in Maryland that specializes in making modest skating apparel. The company is called Sew Creative @ (240) 291-6575; the owner/designer Sherrie-Lynn sent my sister a sizing kit and material samples. My sister and my nieces were very happy with the results. The dresses are conservative, but absolutely gorgeous. I do not know much about the pricing of skating dresses, but they seemed to be reasonable for custom-made dresses.
Thanks for sharing!
I will point out(from my dance experience and what my figure skating friends have told/showed me) that most of those dresses have “nude” fabric to cover the immodest. They are not out there in a mini skirt, but rather in a mini skirt with leggings on, and if necessary there is nude fabric to cover the cleavage. As my dance teacher would tell us, “nude fabric will save you and be your best friend whilst you are dancing(same for figure skating).” So I don’t think they are immodest per say, since they do cover what needs covering it is just done in a less traditional way.
Interesting. After reading some of the comments in this discussion, I have seen the “illusion fabric” when I look for it. I would still argue that the whole point of it is to give the illusion of skin, when there is none. Why have to have the illusion?
I think the point of the “nude” fabric is to keep the outfit modest while still making the outfit useful for the routine. There are some dances that are near impossible in long skirts(chachacha, samba, salsa, mambo, ballet, and jive to name a few) and figure skating requires the legs to be free from restraints or else they can’t get the leg up high enough for the tricks. So instead of trying to find fabric that would match outfit A, but then if that outfit gets nixed you have to spend a ton of money on outfit B, you just use “nude” fabric. It works for all outfits and if for some reason there has to be a last minute change in the outfit(if they change the style or a trick is not working with the outfit), you can use the fabric to make the outfit work.
Couldn’t you use black?
for most yes, but there are some who are very pale(my friend for instance never tans even if she tries so she is white as snow so to speak) and the black tends to wash them out more. “nude” fabric is a safe bet for everyone, even those like my friend who for some whatever reason are unable to tan.
I guess that makes sense.
Ice skating costumes should provide the safety for the performer. But why it is getting more exposed year by year? Are there any added risk year after year to the sport. Anyone can grab the attraction by playing around the colors and lines. But not arouse a primitive flavor in viewers’ mind.