Alternative Girls Win Gold Too
When asked in an interview if she’s into fashion, Alysa Liu responded, “Yeah, I love fashion a lot.” A moment earlier, she said, “You know, someone called my style alternative, and I’d agree with that.”
This “alternative” style consists of baggy jeans, her iconic dyed hair that’s blonde and dark brown, often described as ‘raccoon’ hair, black chokers, fun hats, and fur-lined jackets. Alysa Liu, American figure skater and recent gold medal Olympian, has recently risen to popularity not just from her talent in figure skating but for her personal style and unique charm. After taking a two-year break at sixteen years old, she returned to skating when she was eighteen, and now she is twenty, competing in the Winter Olympics once again. Since her return, she’s explained in interviews that her return to figure skating was completely her decision, and she’s setting boundaries for herself this time: she’s not going to push herself too hard, and if she’s not going hard enough, she’ll push herself more, and she’s not going to let anyone tell her what she can and cannot eat.
Her presence in the rink is one of a kind, and she is often described as an ‘alt girl’ figure skater. She’s even been seen with a plushie from the anime and manga series Chainsaw Man, and in an interview, she expressed that she would love to cosplay on the ice as Madoka from Madoka Magica.
Her interests and hobbies almost seem contradictory: she is one of the biggest athletes in the Winter Olympics, yet she has unconventional hobbies. This is exactly why she has become an inspiration to girls, including myself. At twenty years old, she has captured the entire nation by unapologetically being herself.
As someone who’s always loved alternative fashion, anime, and playing video games, trying to express myself through my ‘weird’ hobbies has constantly been a bit of a struggle. In high school especially, where I was surrounded by classmates who didn’t share those same interests and even made fun of them. Because of this, I always felt like an outsider in high school, not being able to fully express myself because of a fear that others would look down on me, talk about me, and not accept me.
It was even harder when I tried to showcase my fashion, which was quite “alternative”; people would come up to me and make rude comments. In ninth grade, I was especially not fully confident with my identity: I didn’t know what exactly I liked in terms of my clothing, and I didn’t know who I was yet. I would wear tights and skirts regularly, eyeliner every day, and I even dyed my hair dark red and cut bangs. Although now this doesn’t seem exotic or out of the ordinary, when I was in high school, my classmates did not think that. I would get asked, “Are you emo?” and there was even one girl who asked, “Ella, everyone is wondering if you’re emo now.”
Of course, if someone asked me these questions now, I wouldn’t care in the slightest. As a fifteen-year-old, however, my anxiety went through the roof thinking about others talking badly about me for simply being myself. As a result, I ended up trying to be ‘normal’ the rest of high school: I dressed how other girls dressed, I didn’t talk about my ‘weird’ interests, and I remained quiet throughout the rest of my years because I didn’t want to stand out.
Seeing someone with my style and my interests, who is the same age as me succeed and have so many girls look up to her has brought me an indescribable joy. As I watch Alysa Liu skate carefree, choosing her own program music that shows off her music taste, and her unique dyed hair, I feel like if my fifteen-year-old self had seen her skate, it would’ve made me more confident in being who I truly am. Seeing someone like me, confident in herself, and around the same age as me would’ve reassured me that it’s a good thing to be who you are. Ultimately, I’m pretty much a nerd. I love anime. I love manga. I love reading. I’m obsessed with fashion. I’ve been a music nerd since I can remember. Without all of these things, my identity would be stripped away from me, and I’m sure Alysa Liu would feel the same way. When I see her in interviews, owning her personal style without caring if people think it’s weird, it comforts me in the way that I know I shouldn’t be ashamed of who I am. She is completely herself, and that’s why she’s so addicting to watch, showing up to interviews with eyeliner, displaying her smiley piercing, and flaunting her choice accessory of a Pochita plushy. My younger self would be absolutely mortified at the idea of this. Being front and center, where everyone can judge me for having ‘different’ interests and not dressing the way the majority of people do: that was my worst nightmare.
Since coming to college, I’ve cared less and less about what others think of me: I don’t care if people think I’m abnormal anymore for liking the things I like, dressing the way I do, and having humor that many people think is cringe or embarrassing. It’s the complete opposite now: if someone judges me for being myself, it just makes me feel cooler.
I feel as though Alysa Liu has a connection with young women for this reason: she is telling the world that being a ‘weird’ girl is cool, not something to be ashamed of. Having unusual interests and being yourself are what make you shine as a person. By being herself and owning who she is instead of letting herself be controlled by others, she tells the world that being who you are is in and judging others for being ‘weird’ is out.