Is He Gay or European
Or how the westernised idea of masculinity brought on the downfall of artistry in sports
It had never occurred to me before how much of the harmful ideology surrounding masculinity had come through the globalisation of american media. The first time I was faced with this reality was, unexpectedly, in an episode of Heated Rivalry. Specifically, the one scene during the 2014 Sochi Olympics where a character hinted about how brave another character must be to perform as a male figure skater in Russia. To any seasoned fan of the sport, such as myself, the idea that a man would face any stigma in Russia just for being a figure skater would be laughable. After all, it's none other than Evgeni Plushenko, Russia's sweetheart, who had won gold at the team event in the very same discipline at the very same Olympics. However, it's not hard to imagine how someone unaware of these facts might come to a conclusion that a male figure skater might face persecution in Russia. Considering that Russia is, infamously, a deeply conservative and homophobic country, coupled with the western view of masculinity that attributes physical grace and artistry as a feminine trait. The scene works not only to reveal the danger of being a queer person in Russia, but also the shallow idea of masculinity prevalent in North American culture.
This toxic idea of masculinity has had real life consequences on the decline of artistry in sports. One of the first things I noticed when I had first gotten into figure skating is how you could distinguish how long a male figure skater has been competing by his costume. Seasoned skaters would favour more traditional tight, campy, glittery costumes that resemble dance leotards, while newer athletes tended to wear more conservative attire such as collared shirts. This shift in style is not necessarily bad in and out of itself. Not until it starts to result in reductionisim. Such as when every other figure skater had worn a white button up shirt as their costume in the 2022/2023 season. The costumes had always been an integral part of figure skating as an art form. They are a tool for the story telling of a well rounded program, so it is sad to see them lose their theatrical aspect.
You can always tell then a figure skater is trying his best to distance himself from being perceived as less masculine out of fear of being labeled "gay". Some of them are not even trying to be subtle about it. The self-proclamed "quad god" himself, Illia Malinin, the poster boy of male single's figure skating in the United States himself has publicly declared that he'd "have to be gay" to reach better results. Because of course showing delicate artistry is seen immasculating. (The irony of him performing to a recording of his own voice like it's not the campiest thing ever.) Opinions such as this one are slowly damaging figure skating as an art form. It is a product of a system that rewards flashy tricks over a well rounded program. Reducing male single's figure skating to a race of who can do the most quads rather than who can create a program that is rich in both technical skill and artistic expression. Of course, a large part of the problem is also the current scoring that does not award artistry as it does jumps, however, it is a reflection of the deeper issues surrounding the discipline. Not to say that figure skaters who can balance both technical skills and artistry don't exist - Adam Siao Him Fa and JunHwan Cha being few of the examples - however, the number of them is declining by the season. Male figure skating is slowly losing it's soul.
However, figure skating is not the only sport that is affected by this idea of masculinity. As recently illustrated by a declaration from one Thimothée Chalamet. In an pathetic effort to appeal to the male conservative audience, Chalamet mocked ballet and opera as being things that no one cares about. And by no one Chalamet of course meant men. Men do not care about things like that because they are beautiful and delicate and something that women like. They are entirely unmasculine and thus liken them would obviously makes you gay. However, the athletic ability required to perform as a ballet dancer is incredibly impressive and far superior to that of an average man. Ballet is - decidedly so - a sport. And men like sports. It is, arguably, the most masculine thing to ever exist. And yet ballet's identity as a sport is often rejected. Mostly do to it's proximity to women. And if women like something, it becomes offlimits to men. Because of course liking something girly is immasculating. Ballet is only one of many things that had been "ruined" because women like it.
The western idea of masculinity rejects artistry because it is seen as feminine. And liking feminine things is immasculating. So, in an effort to not have their masculinity questioned, men distance themselves from artistic expression, which causes the decline in artistry in sports such as figure skating or ballet.
