Johnny Weir doesn’t like to be called flamboyant.
The two-time Olympic figure skater from the United States, know for his outrageous costumes and sound bites, prefers artistic or elegant — but not flamboyant.
Flamboyant, Weir wrote in his autobiography, is too closely associated with sexuality. And while Weir is openly gay, the art of skating itself actually has nothing to do with sex, in Weir’s mind.
Yet, since his performance of The Swan during the 2006 skating season, which included the Olympic Games, the words “Weir” and “flamboyant” almost universally turn up in the same sentence in news stories.
Johnny Weir Becomes Flamboyant at 2006 Olympic Games
Weir first recognized that he was being called flamboyant during the 2006 Olympic Games, he wrote in his book. At that time, The New York Times wrote “While sitting in the kiss-and-cry area next to the ice, Johnny Weir, who has a flair for the flamboyant, waved at the crowd.” At the same time, the New York Daily News touted Weir as “a shock jock of a different sort, an outrageously flamboyant figure skater with twice the sass of Bode Miller.”
"The one irritating by-product … was the media's new moniker for me: flamboyant," Weir wrote in his memoir, Welcome to my World. "Whereas before they had described me as artistic and elegant, now I was 'over-the-top' and, of course, 'flamboyant.' The sexual connotations of the word annoyed me because sex, as much as I might enjoy it, has nothing to do with how I skate."
Today, more than five years later, the media still refers to the figure-skater-turned-reality-TV-star-turned-musician-turned-author-turned-fashion-designer in the same manner. In February, New York Magazine wrote about the “flamboyant performance by Weir,” while the Windy City Times wrote about Weir’s “flamboyant costumes.”
Definition of Flamboyant
What is the big deal with being called flamboyant, anyway? According to dictionary.com, flamboyant is defined as strikingly bold or brilliant; ornate, elaborately styled; conspicuously dashing and colorful.
Certainly, Weir is all of those things. In fact, much of the time I believe he strives to be bold, brilliant and elaborate.
Yet, despite the dictionary definition, Weir is correct in believing that there are certain connotations associated with particular words. And while he may be gay off the ice, Weir’s sexuality has no place in the judging of an international or Olympic competition.
Olympic Values, Olympic Ideals, Olympic Charter
That’s because the three Olympic values, according to the official website of the Olympic movement are excellence, friendship and respect. Yes, respect.
In addition, point no. 4 on the Olympic charter reads: “Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.”
While the media is obviously not governed by the Olympic charter or by Olympic values, that words that news outlets print certainly has an impact on those who are supposed to be governed by those ideals — namely, judges and Olympic federations.
Judges and Federations Impacted by Olympic Charter, Media
In an ideal world, those individuals would follow the Olympic charter to a fault. Judges would judge and federations would fund based solely on who turned in the best performance.
But the truth is, we don’t live in an ideal world, and reality is very different. Judges and federations do, in fact, put a small amount of weight an athlete’s reputation when deciding who will represent the sport and the country, according to Weir.
"In sports, there's a clear line of what you can and can't discuss. …The federation wants little robots that all spout the same message. And I was anything but that," Weir wrote in his autobiography. "… I was basically their worst nightmare."
Weir argues that the perception of the media can influence the way a judge or a federation views an athlete.
Not that the media influence has stopped him. Instead he’s just had to work harder to ensure that he secures himself a spot a national or Olympic team.
Johnny Weir Making a Comeback?
Weir, 26, has since retired from figure skating to pursue his many other interests. In January, however, he was talking about a comeback.
"This summer I'm going to get myself physically ready, mentally ready, and if I'm able to do it I'll do it," Weir told John Henderson of The Denver Post.
And, this time around, it would be easier if you didn’t call him flamboyant.
Sources:
Olympic Charter, Downloadable at Olympic.org.
"Johnny Weir Skates at Elise Overland's Fashion Show on Ice at the Standard." New York Magazine, Feb. 2, 2011.
Bondy, Flip. "Weir Not Sure What to Make of Him." New York Daily News, Feb. 9, 2006.
Henderson, John. "Figure skater Johnny Weir, 26, will consider comeback." The Denver Post, Jan. 31, 2011.
Mancur, Julia. "Plushenko in Command After Short Program." The New York Times, Feb. 15, 2006.
Nunn, Jerry. "Johnny Weir lets us in his 'World'." Windy City Times, Feb. 23, 2011.
Weir, Johnny. Welcome to my World. Gallery, January 2011.
Kristen Nichols - Kristen is a freelance reporter and copywriter covering Olympic and Paralympic sport for Suite101.com. Kristen's love of sport developed ...
