the way he dresses himself is definitely considered gnc, especially in western terms. it is seen mostly in his skating costumes, and yes you can argue that’s just because it’s skating costumes, but he does go a bit above what you do see on normal [as did a number of japanese men], there’s no denying it. from his junior days he’s been wearing things that could be considered pressing on the barrier.
disclaimer: when i say gender non-conforming, i mean against the set social standards that are put up. my personal opinion on things is gender is bullshit and the idea that there is a gender expression binary that must be stuck to is absolute garbage. this is all coming from a view from the societal binary, however.
this iconic mess of a costume really was the beginning of what people would criticize his wearing “girly” costumes, quick to pushing against gender roles presented [primarily] by the western world.
white legend is also a good example of his costumes drawing designs that are to be seen as not fitting the masculine mold of the world. and, i hate to be that person, but his movements are also seen to not be fitting that mold [not saying i agree that movements are feminine/masculine, but it is the way society perceived them].
zigeunerweisen also pushes on some of the boundaries, used around the same time as white legend.
etude is another, more popular, program of his that the base design is breaking this base idea of masculinity.
i’m fully aware this catastrophy was was brought on from johnny weir, but nobody is saying johnny didnt and doesnt dress himself in ways that do go to shatter the gender barrier. but im not going into johnny weir.
hana ni nare may not be the strongest example, but it’s there anyways.
romeo and juliet 2.0 is, again… something else. do i need to explain? look at his hands. his clothes. i’m not even going to comment further than this.
i again leave no comment.
the final time traveler also displays design that’d be considered more feminine than anything else.
requiem… again, most things about it are breaking through the gender barriers.
the colouring and designs of these costumes tell stories, and are designed specifically for these purposes, but yuzuru hanyu has been shown to have full control in these situations at least for these past few years. hope and legacy is, again, and prime example of pushing against the gender conformity rules in every one of its aspects, from the program itself to the costume.
and, finally, the costume that brings it all up, notte stellata.
and i feel i’m going to leave this one to the no comment section beyond that this design goes all the way back to his days when he was doing white legend, though i’d say notte stellata is probably yuzuru’s most pushing costume. it’s elegant and beautiful, but not in the way that is expected of a male figure skater.
yuzuru has seemingly always been pushing against the boundaries set up, the barriers that have been put in place for so long, through his skating. sure, he’s had programs like hello i love you, but they dont make those such as notte stellata disappear. he is a figure in skating that is impossible to miss, and even when he leaves, his mark will never leave, and not just in the sense of his skating skill.
