BEIJING (AP) 鈥� She wore the pants. And on this day, she was the only one.
In a dramatic black one-piece that felt like classic Audrey Hepburn 鈥� white accents and rhinestones, high bun, smoky eyes 鈥� Swedish figure skater Josefina Taljeg氓rd stood out Tuesday as the only athlete in a field of 30 who wore pants for the short program on the first day of the Beijing Olympics鈥� marquee women鈥檚 figure skating competition.
鈥淚 chose it because it fits the music, and also because I feel very strong and confident in this kind of clothes,鈥� Taljeg氓rd said.
Though women in the singles and pairs contests have for years been free to don trousers in their performances, few actually opt for pants at the most high-stakes competitions such as the Olympics.
Here, the ballerina aesthetic of flowy skirts, pastel colors, sparkles and glitter continues to dominate alongside the classical music that is synonymous with the traditional look and feel of women鈥檚 figure skating.
鈥淓ven a rule change may not necessarily change the cultural expectations if it鈥檚 a central part of the scoring,鈥� said Cheryl Cooky, an author and Purdue University professor who studies gender and sports. 鈥淧eople here 鈥� specifically judges 鈥� know what they find aesthetically pleasing is kind of wrapped up in a feminine image.鈥�
While there鈥檚 been a and more offbeat music at the Capital Indoor Stadium during these Olympics, the artistic choices in the women鈥檚 competition have so far proved less progressive in both music and costume.
That stands in contrast to the women in ice dance 鈥� one of four figure skating disciplines at the Beijing Games 鈥� where there was a critical mass of women wearing pants after a change in performance rules. On the first day of that competition last week, six out of 23 women 鈥� more than a quarter of them 鈥� wore pants for their rhythm dances.
They all returned to more standard dresses two days later, for the free dance that determined the medals.
Russian ice dancer Victoria Sinitsina wore an all-black outfit featuring a sparkly, one-shouldered, midriff-baring top with hip-hugging trousered bottoms that gave '90s New York supermodel vibes. And it fit with the performance that she did with partner Nikita Katsalapov to 鈥淏rick House鈥� by American funk and soul band The Commodores.
鈥淚t brings something different because usually girls wear dresses, skirts,鈥� Katsalapov said. 鈥淭he music for this year鈥檚 rhythm dance, it let us do costumes like that, with pants for the ladies. And it looks sexy and beautiful, too.鈥�
In addition to comfort, practicality and a chic look, skaters in pants said they saw it as a way to match their male partners, as well as align with the music for this season. The International Skating Union chose 鈥淪treet Dance Rhythms,鈥� with style options including hip hop, disco, swing, krump, popping, funk, jazz, reggae, reggaeton and blues.
Canadian ice dancer Piper Gilles wore a orangesicle-colored, carnivalesque, Elton John-inspired one-piece for the ice dance competition, though she previously wore a skirt version of it for the medley team event the first week of the Games.
鈥淚 was actually kind of nervous about wearing pants this year. That was something that I鈥檇 never done before,鈥� Gilles said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e always been told to wear skirts so it鈥檚 kind of fun to be able to break out of that.鈥�
While few figure skaters wear pants in competition, nearly all do so during practice sessions.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have the weight of the skirt, like when you turn and stuff, and it feels more like practice because in practice, I just wear pants. So I find it, I think, (it is) more comfortable,鈥� said Marjorie Lajoie, a Canadian ice dancer who wore a black unitard accented by a teal-colored, sash-like ruffle in a nod to Hollywood red carpet glamour in her 鈥淔unkytown鈥� rhythm dance performance. 鈥淵ou shouldn鈥檛 be forced to wear a skirt.鈥�
Cooky said there are parallels between figure skating, golf and tennis 鈥� all sports where women are traditionally seen competing in skirts, skorts or dresses. The outfits in the women鈥檚 competitions become culturally-enforced gender markers because the sports themselves are identically performed by their male counterparts.
鈥淭here is still sort of cultural anxiety around women鈥檚 athleticism and women鈥檚 physicality despite the tremendous progress we鈥檝e made in that space,鈥� Cooky said. 鈥淪ports today is kind of the last cultural site where that (gender) difference is both accepted and celebrated.鈥�
The parameters among those sports diverge, however, when considering the subjectivity of figure skating. Half of the scoring is based on how judges view their performance 鈥� the music, the costume, the flow and the overall feel.
That may be why there鈥檚 no push toward uniform equality in figure skating as there was last year for the Norwegian female beach handball team. Those women refused to wear the required bikini bottoms at the European Beach Handball Championships in Bulgaria and instead defied the rules by 鈥� and were punished for 鈥� wearing shorts like the male players.
Back at the women鈥檚 singles competition Tuesday night, Taljeg氓rd said she鈥檚 not morally opposed to skirts and incorporates all costume styles into her other performances. A skirt that can ripple through the air can provide a striking element in figure skating that pants just can鈥檛 quite match.
Still, the 26-year-old from Sweden hasn鈥檛 worn a skirt to practice since she was 12 years old.
鈥淚t鈥檚 because it鈥檚 more comfortable. Sometimes if you want to go to the restroom, it鈥檚 easier,鈥� Taljeg氓rd said. 鈥淲here I skate in Sweden, we have a lot of cold rinks. If I skate with just a skirt and stockings or tights you have underneath the skirt, it鈥檚 usually pretty thin. So for me, it鈥檚 definitely nicer to have pants.鈥�
And while her Olympic showcase featured lightning fast spins and music from The Fugees, Taljeg氓rd didn't advance to the free skate Thursday night. But there's no doubt that she remains confident as ever in the skin 鈥� and pants 鈥� she's in.
鈥淚鈥檓 a mature woman," Taljeg氓rd said. "And I think I look great.鈥�
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Seattle-based AP journalist Sally Ho is on assignment at the Beijing Olympics, covering figure skating. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/_sallyho. More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Sally Ho, The Associated Press
