Figure Skating. The immediate thing that comes to mind when you hear those two words is girls. That’s the stereotype yet there are men figure skaters, too. Think of girls in the sport, girly, soft, emotional, pretty. Now think of men in the sport, strong, powerful, not so much emotion. Just remember stereotypes aren’t always true.
On one website I found, Policing Gender in Figure Skating, a big stereotype is that men are expected to land quads to be able to win the gold medal. American skater Evan Lysacek, defined this stereotype, and won the gold medal at the 2010 Olympics without a quad in his program. Girls are expected to show great emotion and pull their foot above their head in the biellmann position and spin so fast you get a nosebleed.
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First, Gracie. At Stars on Ice 2014 she skated to “Let It Go” from Disney 's “Frozen.” Girly program right? Yes, but she didn’t make it girly, she made it like it was any other program. She smiled, showed lots of emotion, power, and effort into it. She didn’t even look like she was in Gracie mode anymore. She looked happy and joyful all in one! Her dress was a baby blue with lots of bling. It looked like she was really Elsa. Jason Brown skated to “Can’t Touch This.” Now in one stereotype it says that men don’t show emotion. Really, just watch the video. See if that changes you opinion! Anyway, he smiled and did really cool things with his feet and hands in some footwork and still landed amazing jumps and spins. Both videos show these skaters defying their stereotypes. Anyone can defy a stereotype you just have to prove you can.
Figure Skating is a very unique sport and a lot of people judge them. If you listen to these stereotypes you got the wrong idea. Society does explain Male and Female skaters different but hey, they aren’t. If you’re ever told “oh you didn’t do that jump...you probably won’t win” don’t listen. You could win first! Being a figure skater myself I feel proud and strong when I’m out there. There are ample stereotypes about figure skaters out in the world but you’re the one who chooses to listen or