Book Reviews
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Book Reviews G e r a l d R . G e m s , e d it o r A n n e t t e H o f m a n n , e d it o r North Central College Ludwigsburg University of Education, Germany ADAMS, M a r y L o u ise . Artistic Impressions: Figure Skating, Masculinity and the Limits o f Sport. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2011. Pp. vii+308. Acknowledgments, pic tures, notes, bibliography, and index. $27.95 pb. Artistic Impressions is an important book and a long-overdue contribution to the history of figure skating. Since limited scholarly attention has been paid to the 250-year history of artistic-skating, Mary Louise Adams has presented an especially detailed and layered analysis when compared to all previous skating histories. Clearly and concisely written, each page is filled with the building blocks of evidence that traces the transformation of an exclusive social custom of gentlemanly “grace” for proper eighteenth-century men into a modern twenty-first-century “performing art” for young “girls.” The principal question asked throughout is “What happened to the men?” Adams’ clear compassion and love for ice-skating, and its male skaters, goes far beyond the stan dard feminist criticism of gendered sport, since by the end of the book she has made a convincing argument for an alternative masculinity rather than an alternative femininity. Readers will want to come to the aid of her argument that says we would do well to encourage more effeminacy in our culture. Who is not numb from the monotony of unnecessary violence in male sport? The shadow of deceased Canadian hockey “enforcer” Derek Boogaard in 2011 is a prime example of hyper-masculinity masquerading as sport that ruins the full beauty and art of mens hockey. A rtistic Impressions is not a general history of figure skating but “a history that priori tizes gender— masculinity in particular” (p. 7). Immediately, the chapter “Tough Guys?” NOTE: The editorial team is seeking potential book reviewers. Anyone interested please register their areas of expertise with Jerry Gems at [email protected]. sets the tone for the other chapters as Adams skillfully engages the reader with crafty descriptions of well-known “macho” Olympic skaters like Canadian Elvis Stojko. Through out the book, Stojko is a key focus of comparison to those more effeminate male skaters who come later. By page 195, Stojko, now retired from competition, is criticizing the men’s 2010 Olympic gold medal event as “a recital” since it was noticeable for its lack of quad jumps. Silver medalist Evgeny Plushenko from Russia, fuming inside for losing to U.S. gold medalist Evan Lysacek, says, “Now its not mens figure skating, now its danc ing” (p. 195). The battle of the sexes seems like it is ready to heat up in the book, but the 1990s “macho turn” that initially motivated the study, thankfully became a short-lived phenomenon. Adams hopes that the lingering anxiety about skatings effeminate reputa tion withers as well, predicting that “skating and figure skaters would be much better off if heteronormative expectations around gender stopped having such an important role in shaping” the sport (p. 237). The heart of the book is rich in historical analysis of primary source data from chapter 3 “Girls’ Sport” to chapter 7 “Artistic Sport or Athletic Art.” They are too good to summa rize and should be read by anyone expecting to be rewarded with the nuances of a subtle historical transformation. The final chapter 8 “Sequins, Soundtracks, and Spirals: Produc ing Gender Difference on the Ice” returns to the modern problem of how to remove the gender restrictions for both male and female skaters in the sport. One reason figure skating has not generated a great deal of scholarly attention, argues Adams, is its modern reputation as a “girl’s sport.” Real male athletes are not attracted to a sport that requires they move gracefully and/or effeminately and are many times auto matically presumed to be gay in popular culture. Mixing choreography with athleticism brands figure skating in North America with an effeminate conceptual image similar to its more commonly used European title, “artistic-skating.” Figure-skating does not easily fit into the common definition of sport. Its tradition uses classical music, odd costumes, sequins, and sometimes fancy feathers. This tension between skating’s art/sport binary becomes the main battleground of discourse about the male skater who is elegant, effete, fey, and aesthetic, and the beautiful female skater who is naturally averse to participate in a sport contest that tries to “harden men.” When you add to the mix Russian male skaters who are classically trained balletic skaters you open a potentially volatile cocktail of subtle definitions regarding the deeper meanings of the word effeminate. This book forces the reader to go beyond the normal boundaries of figure skating. Every page is loaded with other questions serious readers will ask themselves, begging for more answers and historical research. Why did the first two famous North American male figure skaters, Jackson Haines and Callie Curtis, known as “effeminate” in the mid nineteenth century, live with no fear of being bullied or no fear of being asked questions like “Something wrong with you? Why didn’t you choose hockey? Are you a faggot?” W hat forces and fears of emasculization have occurred since then? Adams stays focused on men’s and women’s individual events and does not address the categories of pairs and ice-dancing, since these popular events are framed by a strict binary of heterosexuality with male-female partners being clearly accentuated. Through out this gendered history of artistic skating, it i s made very clear that the “formula which continues to churn out one media-darling ice-princess after another” (p. 229) results from 326 Volume 40, Number 2 skating’s obsession with gender that “helps to perpetuate pernicious and harmful discourses o f misogyny and homophobia in the culture at large” (p. 205). Adams’ book calls for a marked change in figure skating. She hopes that there will be more male skating champions like John Curry and Toller Cranston who because of their innate creative genius will be able to choose to express themselves beyond the limits of the sport they choose to love. Artistic Impressions is an extremely valuable read, which will continue to ask important questions of those who choose to read it. Nearly every page challenges a serious readers curiosity and wonder. Ideas and questions pour forth: W hat sport is a notable exception that is n o t organized around gender? Would a record-breaking sprint be any less impressive were the runner to wear makeup or jewelry a Ia Florence Griffith Joyner? Is this issue only a problem when the competitors are men? Other questions, historical analysis, and comparisons with other sports continue. W hy do men not compete in artistic gymnastics? Why do male skaters not perform laybacks or spirals? Briefly, an answer and clarification: “Men are naturally stronger;. women are naturally more flexible. There are a number of problems with this perspective (p. 221).” Adams details some biological dangers of assuming “that the category o f humans divides neatly into the subclasses of male and female.” Briefly mentioned, the International Olympic Committee admits “gender verification” is simply too difficult. The example of female runner Caster Semenya in track and field is briefly mentioned, begging more questions in other forums. What is the best way to talk publicly about the fluidity of sexuality as revealed in the horrific treatment of South Africa’s female runner Caster Semenya in 2009 (p. 221)? After Semenya’s gender was questioned by her female opponents, Semenya was eventually cleared to compete in the 2012 London Olympics only after she was publicly humiliated in 2009 and mortifiably “evaluated” in 2010. She was found to have the medical condition known as Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. She had internal testes that were producing an amount of testosterone that gave her an unfair advantage in the women’s 800-meter race. O f course, appropriately, no mention of her horrific treatment was made during NBC’s international television coverage of Semenya’s race at the 2012 London games. Just imagine. Could such a horrific event ever take place in the universe of figure skating? Artistic Impressions proposes that figure skating stops trying to pass as just another sport (p. 239), arguing that figure skating has more potential than most sports to help us think differently about the relationships between sports, gender, bodies, and styles of move ment. By specifically placing the history o f figure skating and effeminacy in historical context, Adams advises us of ways to help implement change in contemporary ideas about men, masculinity, and sexuality. New thinking is long overdue. As humans move forward, paralyzed by the current evil of monotony in world affairs, A rtistic Impressions reminds us that we are mired in the boring ways of an older world. In this instance, a minor sport that sometimes is equated with a non-sport sheds a bright light on significant issues that hu mans need to confront in the future. This important book encourages us not to waste the opportunity. — P a u l J. D e L o c a Greensboro, N. C..