A little look into the reason for creation and all things functional...

Monday 15 November 2010

The word leotard to you is probably now cursed thanks to Madonna thrusting her 50 something crotch in our faces in her ‘Hung Up’ video. But having participated in gymnastics for a long period of my life it would be a crime not to give the stretchy ‘onesy’ a mention.
The original leotard first came about in 1859 in a French flying trapeze performance and was named after the creator Jules Leotard. As Madonna very loudly demonstrated, the leotard leaves little to the imagination and is about as good of a cover up as wrapping your naked body in cling film. It is imaginable that the leotard was very controversial in the 19th century due to its revealing nature. The leotard, created by Jules, was a hand knitted garment that covered him from wrist to ankle, a little more like a uni-tard than the minimal leotards of today.


Jules Leotard

The leotard was introduced to pop culture in the 60’s and 70’s through ballet artists, show girls and lingerie models. If you were considered anyone in the 70’s you were most likely to own a leotard. It became a must have item in the times of disco and aerobic craze. After all, according to the recent Eric Prydz video ‘Call of me’ exercise can only be done in the skimpiest of thong leotards. (I’ll post a link assuming that most of you are not boys who fantasise over that video every night.)
In the late 80’s and 90’s people put their legs away and opted for wearing their leotards as tops; wearing jeans over them. And the exercise bras and shorts took over the ‘getting fit’ wardrobe. After all there’s no point having rock hard abs if you can’t see them.
But now down to the cool stuff, the legendary and most masculine wearers of the leotards (apart from those crazy muscle women); superheroes. Superheroes adopted leotards and capes to give them more of an aerodynamic approach when flying through the sky and saving the world. Well, that’s purely a guess but if I ever meet one I’ll be sure to ask their uniforms function.  Was it a case of practicality or just used to accentuate the abs and buttocks?
Gymnastics; although not as cool, gymnasts are most famously known for wearing leotards. Worn for the obvious reasons of practicality, the leotards are slim line and keep accidents to a minimum thought their lack of bagginess. However, unfortunately they are not the most comfortable of garments. Plus, points are deducted if a contestant is seen pulling the leotards out of their bum during a routine. They must suffer in wedgie silence; tough sport I can tell you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ7cThD85Js&feature=related – Gymnastic bloopers
Me as a Gymnast with ledgend Olga Korbet - this photo was in The Daily Mail...my only claim to fame
Although a thing of the past in fashion, I’m sure the seasonal cycle will bring the leotard back at some point. And if not there’s always the girl at Halloween that will throw one on with a pair of over the knee socks and call themselves a slutty cat.

1 comment:

  1. So, when did the fashion of wearing your knickers over the top of your leotard arrive?

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