Alysa Liu's Olympic performance
When Alysa Liu stated she was returning to skating to her coaches, what stood out to me most was her emphasis that it had to be on her terms. That idea feels really significant, especially in a sport like figure skating where young women are often expected to sacrifice everything, physically, mentally, and emotionally, for coaches, judges, and national expectations. In athletic culture, there’s this long-standing narrative that success requires total obedience, push through pain, don’t question authority, and prioritize medals over well-being and mental health. For women, that pressure is intensified by gendered expectations to be agreeable, disciplined, and compliant. By saying she would only come back if it felt right for her, Liu disrupted that norm. She challenged the idea that women athletes owe constant productivity or perfection to the public. From a Women’s and Gender Studies perspective, this feels like a rejection of both patriarchal coaching structures and the broader cultural expectation that women must bend over backwards to succeed. Her decision reframes ambition as something self-defined rather than externally controlled, which is powerful in a system that rarely centers young women’s autonomy. I just love her and the fact that she just won gold makes this idea that much more important.
I agree! I love to see the display of more Gen-Z talent. I truly think her passion for the activity is what stood out to me her expression her being Bay area proud it's amazing to see. I also agree that seeing her come back when she was ready after taking such a break really breaks the standards that women cannot be anything once they quit. She came back on her own time and when it was right for her and when she did she won big. I truly have loved this moment from the Olympics' and it shows that women are subjected to do things on their time and it doesn't take away the important aspect that women can do whatever they want because we are more than capable.
ReplyDeleteI agree! I think that in sports, especially as you get more professional, decisions seem to fall more and more out of the athlete's hands. Especially for women, they are being controlled by those that are "superior" to them about decisions that have to deal with their well being and their health.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I loved seeing her perform at the Olympics and I absolutely love that she only performs if it is entirely on her terms. She is breaking barriers and shattering stereotypes one performance at a time, I love seeing young figure skaters coming up and breaking these long-instated rules that past performers feared disobeying. It truly adds a more complex artistic quality to the sport and the performance; I love seeing how she picks her own music and has say in what costumes she is or isn't comfortable wearing. She has turned this sport into something she once dreaded into something completely customizable to her comfortability. It is truly admirable and I hope we continue to see young athletes take after her footsteps.
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