No. 13 The Sparkly Olympics
Why was I always so obsessed with gymnastics?
I’ve spent the past week watching the Olympics every night. The “Primetime in Paris” special keeping me informed of all of the hot wins I want to catch without searching through the day’s schedule. I haven’t been on the Olympics train in years. I’ve missed having it on in the background. I’ve miss my favorite Olympics sport, Gymnastics.
I’ve had a complicated relationship with my body my whole life, and since Covid and grad school in late 2020 have felt bad about the weight I put on then. Watching the Olympics has felt motivating to look at my body as something that can be worked and conditioned into form. I want to feel strong and capable and like I can run around without tiring. I want to be the best at something. I yearn for the simplicity of sports, where you either win the race or you don’t. Life can never be like that, nor should it, but it sounds lovely.
I haven’t been this bored in years, and that’s a good thing. Watching sports play out with nothing else, not even knitting because of this horrid summer heat, let’s the mind rest in ways I haven’t let it with tik Tok and instagram always at my fingertips. It’s given me space to think! I need to let myself have thoughts more! I’ve really been quieting them for awhile.
I’ve been trying to figure out why I love watching gymnastics so much. I didn’t watch the Rio or Tokyo games, and fully missed out on the Simone Biles fandom, until now. I regret this. She is absolutely fucking amazing, but none of you need me to tell you that. I’ve been very behind. Gymnastics appears to be sheer athleticism. Sure, some folks can run fast, others can bike fast, but can you fly through the air and land perfectly? Can you arch your body as you flip? It’s just so elegant and athletic.
Gymnastics is also so camp. The sparkly leotards, the music, the spirit fingers. It takes itself so seriously and so far, like Susan Sontag’s dress “made with three million feathers”. These leotards were only bedazzled as soon as the early 2000s, and even then it was a few jewels. This year it’s thousands on the Team USA ones, and they are stunning. Every breath the athletes take pushes a dazzle of sparkles emanating from their torsos.
There’s been wonderful features on GK Elite Sportswear, the company making the leotards. It’s a small business in Pennsylvania and all are made by hand! Nothing like artisan hand made clothes to get the heart pumping. The making process is incredibly satisfying to watch and I still don’t fully understand how the rhinestones aren’t popping off. That glue must be goooood.
The Saks Potts sparkle pants and tops was the closest I’ve ever been to wearing something like this as an adult. I ended up selling them a few years ago after I’d worn them to a party or two. Even though I loved to look at them, and felt hot when I was wearing them, they just didn’t feel like me. I have to remind myself that I can like something but it doesn’t necessarily mean I will like how I feel wearing it. If this is your vibe, you can still find some of these pants out there. The Real Real has some, some in sets with matching tops for a great price. Or, you can search for the Lissi pant if you’re not finding your size there, but they do appear to be listed for quite a bit more elsewhere.
An Olympic aside: the equestrian rankings list the horse’s name under the riders, as they should. My favorite so far is Bluetooth Old. I’m just starting to watch the finals and I hope he wins a medal.
And now, please look at these really cool vintage Olympics posters I found via Colorlib. This link leads to a compilation of historic logos as well! I highly recommend you check it out.
