The Unstoppable Alysa Liu

[Nevilledog]

https://jessica.substack.com/p/alysa-liu-conservative-nightmare

I don’t really follow figure skating or the Olympics, so you can imagine my shock when I found myself sobbing while watching young skater Alysa Liu perform her gold medal-winning free skate. Flying across the ice with a huge smile on her face, Liu took my breath away—literally. At one point during the program, I gasped aloud.

At first, I didn’t understand why I was having such an emotional reaction. It’s always inspiring to see someone who is truly excellent at what they do, but this went beyond witnessing greatness. It actually took revisiting the program a few more times before it dawned on me: I was watching a young woman be free.

From Liu’s fluidity and obvious joy on the ice to her punky striped hair and the mouth piercing that peeked through whenever she smiled (which was often), she was beautifully, unabashedly herself.

I cried because every spin, jump, and slide was evidence of what’s possible when you let women achieve greatness on their own terms. I cried because in a country intent on quashing any semblance of freedom for young women, Liu’s skating reminded me what’s at stake—and all we have to lose.

After all, the 20-year-old really is conservatives’ worst nightmare—and I don’t just mean her hair or the fact that she follows AOC on Instagram. This is a young woman who made history by refusing to be controlled.

*snip*

[LymphocyteLover]

1. I love how she took a mental health break and is so open and free and happy now