For a view of the very dirty business that is women’s gymnastics and figure skating, I recommend Little Girls in Pretty Boxes. Troubling, to say the least.
Nah, to defeat my own argument, I would have had to argue the necessity of sequins. 
I don’t think my argument is defeated though. The OP wondered why they were “pretty.” I offered an answer, but perhaps I should go further. I won’t speak to the makeup, but the hairdo is an entirely practical idea–too long or out of control, and it gets in the skater’s way, in her eyes, in her mouth, etc. as she moves, and she can’t always stop to push it out of the way. Even the soccer player’s ponytail can be impractical for a figure skater. If the girl wants her hair long when she’s not skating, some sort of hairdo that holds is necessary when she is. And if she uses a sequinned (damn! There’s that word!) barrette to hold it; well, what of it? Of course, the girl could get her hair cut short (worked for Dorothy Hamill), but not all skaters want short hair when they’re not at the rink.
Pffft. You said styled and you meant it. Mrs P can put her hair where it won’t be in the way while doing stuff without there being any danger of anyone using the word “styled” about it.
I think the whole business of figure-skating being a ‘competition’ is pretty silly. Why take something that’s fundamentally a performance, and turn it into a fairly arbitrarily-scored competitive sport?
It makes as much sense to me has having the Decembrists compete against Snow Patrol in some competition to determine which is the better band.
like the synchronised swimming competition?
Gfactor you forgot to quote the next line which puts this in context
“French judges have traditionally preferred a smaller clitoris, so the lower score for the Brazilian couple isn’t all that surprising.”
I think it’s more butt than crotch. They’re always skating backwards, presenting to the audience and judges a primal sexual offering.
Second this recommendation. Found it used last year and passed it on to an ex-gymnast I know. I still remember her going on Weight Watchers at 11 years old and 80 lbs.
Spoons, your quote about delayed menarche and development makes it sound like a dire problem, but if you take a look at the few remaining hunting and gathering groups around, and at the reports from scientists who study past societies, you’ll find that menarche typically happens later than in agricultural societies, around age fourteen to sixteen. Meanwhile, industrial societies have been having earlier and earlier development, to the point where the average now is about 12 years old. Considering that people lived as hunters and gatherers for pretty much all of our history as modern humans, we’ve only lived as farmers for 10,000 years, and have only had the huge surpluses of food and low amounts of physical activity made possible by industrialization for less than two centuries, the fact that modern female athletes don’t develop until 14 or so is not abnormal at all. If anything, it’s more normal than a nine year old who is already capable of getting pregnant. We’re just not used to that, is all.
(True story; I worked as the executive assistant to the director of an outreach program. There were several elementary school girls who were pregnant. The youngest one was 9, the boyfriend who knocked her up was twelve.)
A young athlete being enrolled in Weight Watchers, on the other hand, is ridiculous. If anything, they’ll need more calories and higher levels of fat and protein than they’d get with a typical WW diet plan, or even on a normal, non-weight loss diet. When I was swimming and diving as a freshman in high school, I had a project in my biology class where we were supposed to track what we ate for two weeks. I found out that I was scarfing down over 3,000 calories a day! This is when I was still on the small side, at only 5’6" and about 145 lbs. I ate constantly and burned it all off. I was straight out of gymnastics so I was muscular for my size, which undoubtedly made a difference in my metabolic rate. I probably ate more than some of the football guys who had legs the size of my torso.
Some of the poses that seem to be saying, “hey, look at my crotch!” like the one where they raise one leg in front of them and hold it above their heads without using their hands are to demonstrate balance and control. I’d challenge you to try it and then tell me it’s not an athletic move. I’m in darn good shape now, better than I’ve been since I stopped competing after my first year of college, and I still can’t do that for more than a few seconds. Heck, I’ve barely got the flexibility to get my leg there in the first place, and I’m darn flexible for a guy. Besides balance and control, there are moves designed to showcase flexibility as well as spin ability, like the Biellmann spin.
The crotch shot is entirely incidental to showcasing skills. The costumes are derived from dance, which is why they’re kind of fanciful. The tightness is necessary, considering the extreme range of motion they need. If anything got in the way, or bound up, or rode up on them during the routine, they’d have problems.
I had some skating event on the TV the other day and what got my eye was the girl’s leotard that seemed to cover her skate. I thought that quite odd and creepy looking. The whole 180 deg flag pole thing also creeps me out. If there’s camel toe involved it would make it even creepier.
I’ve noticed that too. Its gross, looks like skin or something. As for the OP. Yeah I think its crotch oriented. The pose or whatever you call it in pairs skating where the girl is spread eagle over the guys head, his arms fully extended as are hers, and their hands meet in her crotch :dubious: my eyes go straight to that area. Oh and the guys usually look like they are showcasing their package too extreem bulges and all.
That’s horrible.
Actually skating started out by making patterns on the ice. Hence the name figure skating.
The few women who competed generally competed in long skirts. You didn’t see shorter skirts until Sonja Henie came along in the 1930’s. She was able to get away with the shorter skirts because she was only 11 when she started competing. The shorter skirts showcased her legs and let judges see her spins and jumps more clearly.
What I think we’re seeing is simply the result of the translation of ballet on to ice. Spins take their poses from traditional ballet moves like arabesques and attitudes. I’m not surprised by that. The Russians particularly have done a superb job in drawing on their balletic history and bringing it to the ice.
By contrast the Americans have traditionally prefered a more athletic style as exemplified by Dorothy Hamil and Nancy Kerrigan.
The real problem I have right now with figure skating isn’t crouch shots. The real problem is age. The International Skating Union rules state that you have to be sixteen to compete at worlds. The first and second place finishers at this year’s nationals were 14 and 15. They can’t even qualify to compete.
Is it good policy to let kids who can’t qualify for Worlds compete at Nationals? Are little girls hurting their bodies when they subject them to such pressures that young? Does the constant pounding on the ice when they jump lead to more serious physical problems later on in life?
Look at Kimmie Meissner. She was national champ last year and world champ the year before. Now she’s 18. She lost her worlds title this year. She skated so badly she fell three times during her long program at nationals. What kind of sport is it where one is washed up at 18?
Those are questions that concern me more.
I’m pretty sure they’re wearing “atheltic supporters”. Either that or figure skating really helps, y’know, down there. Which would seem to make Enzyte Bob and Viagra a little superfluous.
Clearly a winter Olympics event.
But they’re playing beach volleyball. Why is it ridiculous that they’re required to wear bathing suits?
applause
So, which TV manufacturer is going to come out with the slogan “So sharp, you can really see the cameltoe”
If you mean the flesh-coloured leggings that come down over the skates, IIRC, it’s supposed to give the leg a longer look when it’s extended.
I would say that western culture in general is absolutely obsessed with the female body, especially what are perceived as the more sexual aspects of the female body.