Reinventing an “Ice Princess” Identity – Alysa Liu is Giving Figure Skating an Alt Aesthetic
From halo highlights to graphic liner, Alysa Liu’s bright personality and bold style breathe new life into the conventions of figure skating fashion.
Pastel sequined dresses delicately float over the ice, sparkles glinting in the light as gentle music echoes softly through the rink. The crowd is silent, the judges gazing intently. Twirling, spinning, jumping, the figure skater executes expert control and calculated precision while gliding gracefully – difficult technique and countless hours of practice contribute to the appearance of natural and effortless skill.
Clearly, figure skating has a look.
But as the world turns to celebrate its athletes competing in the upcoming Milano Cortina Olympic Games, the emergence of an alt-aesthetic has taken the world by storm, shattering convention and challenging the soft glamor “ice princess” identity often associated with the sport. A girl, crowned with blonde halo-ringed hair and dancing to Lady Gaga, skates with a bright and bold smile – a girl who is no stranger to Team U.S.A. or the Winter Olympics – a girl named Alysa Liu.
The youngest U.S. women’s champion and the first female American skater to land three triple axels at just 13 years old, Liu quickly rose to the top. Landing a quadruple jump (as the first U.S. woman to do so) in competition at age 14, Liu joined the Olympic team in 2022 to finish sixth overall in Beijing.
But despite all these accomplishments, Liu simply stopped. At age 16, she retired from the sport, “calling it quits,” as she explained in a 60 Minutes interview. After all, she’d already accomplished in her youth what many still aspire to achieve after decades of dedicated practice. Expressing feelings of being burnt out and feeling the urge to live life outside of the duties and responsibilities required of a reigning world champion figure skater, Liu was ready for a change. With college now on the horizon, Liu took time to spend with friends, traveling to Nepal and hiking to Everest Base Camp. Enrolling at UCLA, Liu pursued her studies as a psychology major, embracing life as a young adult.
But now, Liu is back – and she’s far from the girl who retired from the sport at age 16. After a ski trip that sparked a renewed excitement, enthusiasm and an interest to get back into skating, Liu made her return to the ice. She’s back, and this time she’s in charge.
“I get to pick my own program music. I get to help with the creative process of the program. If I feel like I'm skating too much, I'll back down. If I feel like I'm not skating enough I'll ramp it up. No one's gonna starve me or tell me what I can and can't eat,” Liu said. While her strict childhood skating schedule left her little room to make her own decisions, Liu has become her own advocate; speaking up and voicing her own opinions and preferences. In a sport so often linked to restrictive disordered eating-conducive diets and solid inflexible training regimens, Liu’s determination to prioritize her own well-being is just as commendable as her unabashed approach to an alternative style.
From Charli XCX to Mitski, Kali Uchis to PinkPantheress and Billie Eilish, Liu’s skating playlist reveals her Gen-Z roots. Her hair – with blonde highlights that she compares to age rings on a tree – along with her smiley piercing (a piercing placed within the inner part of the upper lip that appears only when Liu smiles), reflects her unique sense of style. Clearly, Liu’s modern music choices, unique look, her graphic liner and edgy black skating gear all work to define a striking style that pushes the boundaries of what figure skating could be. And evidently, given recent virality online, her bold comeback has struck a chord with many.
For fans rooting for Team U.S.A. this year, it's Liu’s unapologetic self-expression and exceptional talent that will inspire a new generation of skaters. A welcome contrast to the typical “polished” figure skating image carefully curated for the watchful eyes of judges, Alysa Liu is a breath of fresh air – a champion for original thinkers within the figure skating space. For the female figure skater, Alysa Liu challenges notions of traditional femininity within the sport, completely upsetting long-held values prioritizing a specific socially fabricated look.
Liu’s alt-style is just a small piece of her broader journey; the undeniable talent she possesses along with the years of hard work it’s taken her to get here highlights just how dedicated she is to the sport. And her triumphant comeback signifies the fact that sometimes taking time to find yourself is the best possible action to take in order to rekindle a love and passion for your craft. Without a doubt, many would do well to understand that greatness can be earned without surrendering personal identity.
Alysa Liu’s presence at the Olympics this year shines brightly, paving the way for those who follow after her footsteps. Powerfully dominating a sport often structured to encourage compliance to a certain soft aesthetic, this reigning world champion sets a new tone within the figure skating community. Underscoring the need for many more avant-garde personas on the ice, Liu’s originality is overtly clear: from her costume design to music choices and overall skating technique.
And for many young Asian Americans out there, Alysa Liu stands as a reminder to all that excellence can be achieved without complete conformity to societal standards – accomplishments can be reached without sacrificing personal goals – and that sometimes, it’s okay to take a break.