Much has been said about the bizarre aboriginal-themed
costumes worn by Russian ice dancers Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin the other night. If they had any hope of erasing the searing image from fans' minds with their free dance last night, they completely squandered it
By Mary Vallis, National Post
One glance at the television screen was enough to see that Domnina and Shabalin had done it again, this time with floaty, face-laden numbers. Domnina's getup seemed designed to suggest one breast was exposed. Whaaaat?
The reaction has been predictable and overwhelming. To wit, just a few of the comments buzzing on Twitter this morning:
@wagers13 where can i get a job designing figure skating costumes for russians? all i need are some scissors and my mom's old shirts from the 80s
@kirstenalex You would think that costumes alone would have doomed Russians, but no. Makes me long for simplicity of hockey: uniforms.
@greenfuzz Ok Russians on the podium, the costumes are like a used porn mag
@miklasz Given their costumes and general freakishness, surprised bronze-winning Russians did not skate to "Werewolves of London."
But it wasn't only the costumes' garishness that offended. Complaints are also circulating that the Russians used their costumes as props, with Shabalin grabbing Domnina's "ropes" to lift and hold her as the pair danced:
"Shall we now allow sling-shots for big jumps? Hammocks for when you are getting a bit tired? A hand hold via rope for a nice line that is much harder when done by, oh gee, an actual HAND HOLD?"
one critic raves in an online skating forum.
The maneuvers might not have explicitly been against the rules, but perhaps these are just a few of the real reasons that the Russians won bronze,
not Shabalin's creaky knees. This year could be the first time the Russians head home without a gold in figure skating. Time to hire a new dressmaker.
