BEIJING, Feb. 16 (US): She put on the pants. And on this day, she was the only one.
In a sexy black one-piece that looks like an Audrey Hepburn classic — white accents and rhinestones, a high bun, smoky eyes — Swedish figure skater Josefina Tallegaard emerged Tuesday as the only player in the 30-something to wear the shorts for the short program on the first day of the figure skating competition. Women’s at the Beijing Olympics.
“I chose it because it fits the music, and also because I feel strong and confident in this type of clothing,” Tallegaard said.
Although women in singles and couples competitions have for years been free to wear pants at their shows, few actually choose to wear pants in the most high-stakes competitions like the Olympics, the AP reports.
Here, the ballerina’s aesthetic of flowing skirts, pastel colors, shimmers, and shimmers continues to dominate alongside classical music synonymous with the traditional look and feel of women’s figure skating.
“Even a rule change may not necessarily change cultural expectations if it’s an essential part of recording,” said Cheryl Cookie, an author and professor at Purdue University who studies sex and sports. “People here—especially the judges—know that what they find aesthetically pleasing is a bit of a wrap up in a female image.”
While there was a move toward more modern and offbeat music in the capital’s indoor stadium during these Olympics, artistic choices in the women’s competition have thus far proven less advanced in both music and fashion.
This contrasts with women in figure skating – one of the four disciplines of figure skating at the Beijing Olympics – where there was a critical mass of women wearing shorts after a change in performance rules. On the first day of that competition last week, six of the 23 women — more than a quarter of them — wore rhythmic dance pants.
They all returned to more standard dresses two days later, for the free dance that determined the medals.
Russian ice dancer Victoria Sinitsyna wore an all-black outfit that featured a sparkly one-shoulder top with hip-hugging pants bottoms that gave New York supermodels a look of the ’90s. It matches her performance with her partner Nikita Katsalapov of the song “Brick House” by American funk and soul band The Commodores.
“It brings something different because girls usually wear dresses and skirts,” Katsalapov said. “Rhythmic dance music of the year, lets us wear costumes like that, with pants for the ladies. And it looks sexy and beautiful too.”
In addition to comfort, practicality and a stylish look, the skaters in the pants said they saw it as a way to match their male partners, as well as match the music of the season. Street Dance Rhythms has been selected by the International Skating Federation, with style options including hip-hop, disco, swing, chrome, pop, funk, jazz, reggae, reggaeton, and blues.
Canadian ice dancer Piper Gill wore an orange, Elton John-inspired one-piece to the ice dance competition, although she previously wore a version of the skirt for the team’s variety event in the first week of games.
“I was actually kind of nervous about wearing pants this year. It was something I had never done before,” Giles said.
While a few snowboarders wear the pants in competition, nearly all of them do so during practice sessions.
“You don’t have the weight of the skirt, as when turning around and stuffing, and it feels more like practice because in practice, I just wear the pants,” said Marjorie Lajoie, a Canadian ice dancer who wore a black ruffled scarf-like unit in teal, in a nod to Hollywood red-carpet glamor, “Funkytown” percussion dance performance “You shouldn’t be forced to wear a skirt.”
Koki said there are similarities between snowboarding, golf and tennis – all sports in which women are traditionally seen competing in skirts, skirts, or dresses. Attire in women’s competitions becomes culturally imposed gender markers because the same sports are similarly performed by their male counterparts.
“There is still a kind of cultural concern about women’s sport and the woman’s body despite the tremendous progress we’ve made in this area,” Koki said. “Sports today is kind of another cultural site where this difference (gender) is accepted and celebrated.”
However, the parameters between those sports diverge when considering the subjectivity of figure skating. Half the scores are based on how the judges look at their performance – the music, the costumes, the flow and the overall feel.
This may be why there is no push towards uniform equality in figure skating as there was last year for the Norwegian beach handball team. These women refused to wear the bikini shorts required at the European Beach Handball Championships in Bulgaria and instead defied the rules by wearing shorts like the male players – and were punished for it.
Back at the women’s singles competition on Tuesday night, Taljegård said she is not against pants ethically and incorporates all fashion styles into her other shows. A skirt that can ripple in the air can provide an eye-catching element of figure skating that shorts can’t quite match.
However, the 26-year-old Swedish girl hasn’t worn a skirt to train since she was 12 years old.
“That’s because it’s more comfortable. Sometimes, if you want to go to the restroom, it’s easier,” Tallegaard said. “Where I skate in Sweden, we have a lot of cold rinks. If I skate with a skirt and socks or under skirt tights, it is usually very skinny. So for me it is definitely better to have pants.”
And while her Olympic show featured fast spins and music from The Fugees, Taljegård didn’t step into free skating on Thursday night. But there’s no doubt that she’s still confident in her skin—and her pants—that she’s wearing.
“I am a mature woman,” said Tallegaard. “And I think I look cool.”