Interview with Natalia Bolshova, a "world-famous costume designer" who lives in USA:
Наталия Большакова — один из самых известных художников по костюмам.
www.sport-express.ru
Really interesting one.
Translating.
Natalia Marianchik for sport-express:
One of the most famous costume designers Natalia Bolshakova talks about why the female skaters are often victims
After the tragic death of the 20 y.o skater Aleksandrovskaya the talk about children athletes abuse is in the air again. For the first time Maria Sotskova - the 2018 Olympics participant spoke out. She, who went to the Olympics and made it much further than many says:
It seems we are so successful, healthy, good looking and thin, but we view ourselves in the angle of what we were told our whole lives - fat, lazy, useless, underachiever, so you would not think highly of yourself. Fortunately I was always very confident and thought highly of myself and was able to save a little of self esteem. Otherwise it would all be taken away. I spent my whole life in the sport thinking everyone invested so much into me and I never live up to their expectations. I always apologize to my family, coaches and audience, am always ashamed.
Sotskova's post was highly supported by Natalia Bolshakova - the costumes designer who worked with Klimova/Ponomarenko, Grischuk/Platov, Anisina/Piezerat, Bestemianova/Bukin and many others. Now Bolshakova lives in the USA and works with the skaters, the Russian national syncro swimming team. Most of the syncro swimming team recent victories were in her costumes.
She is an insider: many times during the costumes measurements the kids and the coaches show their other side which is never visible to the camera. Also Natalia has a chance to compare the work in different countries and it's consequences.
Bolshakova: About a week ago I was livid reading the interview of Tutberidze's ex choreographer, who said that he smacks the kids at the back of their heads. `How can you work differently with them?'. In a civilized country such a person would lose his job at once. Let me tell you - you can work differently with them! I've been working for years with the Russian synchronized swimming team who are phenomenal. You can not imagine Tatiana Danchenko hitting someone or calling them names. She would never.
Marianchik: You wrote during the costume try on you sometimes had to be a shrink for the athlete. Probably you were told quite impressive stories?
Bolshakova: I was always in ave when a girl comes - she is an idol for millions, and yet she is certain she is fat and her body is all wrong. You can't do the dress this short because her legs are fat, that cut - because her behind is huge... It's something even the thinniest girls are certain of! I had to repeat thousands of times: you are gorgeous, you are wonderful, you can wear any costume and if something does not look good it's not you, it's the costume and you are wonderful. There are exceptions - Navka for example. She is so confident, but there are not many such people, especially among the single skaters. Where is it all coming from? the coaches humiliate the girl all the time in front of the others. And she starts believing them more than she does what she sees in the mirror.
Marianchik: What is the system in the West? There are children abuse scandals in the USA and the UK, so it's certainly not only a Russia thing.
Bolshakova: I think the USA is very strict about it. The coaches, especially male, are afraid to say a wrong word or touch the athlete. They would be accused of harassment on the spot. If the coach tells the girl she is fat he will lose the job the next day. And its' the right thing! The kids who skate here are so diverse - some are plump. Everyone is gorgeous in their own way and no one said if you are talented in your moves you can not achieve the results. If you want to lose weight it should be your adult decision. In Russia the problem is that it's a soviet preparation system that remained while the people had changed. When I first started working in 1986 we were all raised to walk together, not stand out, listen to the others. But the world is so different now, there are social networks, the kids are communicating and see the different life. But for some reason there is no new way treating them. What is worse - after retiring they start working with the kids using the same methods and continuing the abuse cycle.
Marianchik: What is the solution?
Bolshakova: I have been working for 35 years and have thought a lot about it. There is no other place that finances figure skating the way Russia does. Nowhere else the kids skip the school starting the 1-2nd grade for the sport. There is no other place with such an amount of the talented coaches. And yet it's only recently with Eteri Tutberidze that the Russian girls started winning. Why? Because the girls go on the ice as if on the scaffold! They are afraid they will be shouted at that they don't live up to someone's expectations - exactly what Masha Sotskova write. The American girls go on the ice to show how gorgeous and talented they are. That's the main difference.
Marianchik: So why do the Tutberidze girls win?
Bolshakova: Because they are kids! I never worked with her, but I can imagine all her athletes' problems begin when the puberty hits. This is the time of life when the person has to be treated mildly, should be ready for the results to go down for a while, to teach loving themselves in their new body. Instead they are constantly told: if you have an fat ass your life is over, you are no longer needed. That's why the Russian juniors win everything and then dissapear in the seniors.
Marianchik: Did you ever change the athlete's image ?
Bolshakov: Sure, it happens quite often. Sometimes I even offer to make the costume the way I see it and if they dislike it I will change it no charge. Though it might turn out being a month of working without being payed, but it's worth it. The person starts seeing themselves in a new light. The girl can be so worried about the extra 100grm. It happened that kids would faint being hungry while trying the costumes. Guess they had a practice then got to the costume try without having a meal - and here we are.
Marianchik: Who makes the final decision what will the costume look like?
Bolshakova: In the USA the kid and their parents, they can ask the coach's point of view if they want to. But the kid has the last word. In Russia - the coach. Which I think is one of the mental abuse sides. At the girls at least -the guys usually don't care what they wear, but for a girl it's so important to be on the ice wearing something she likes, something she picked. Yet the coach is not even convincing her, just simply states what will she be wearing. It's considered the coach knows the best, but why? The coach knows better how to do the steps and the jumps, but since when the costume is their speciality?
Marianchik: So if the coach likes this or that style all their skaters will wear more or less the same?
Bolshakova: It's more because the same designer works with the whole group. But what if the girl wants to stand our? There is no choice. All the costumes are subsided by the state. Once I had a pair who came to me - I will not name the names, but they aimed for the high places and were on the good salary. They said `We have 1000$ for the costumes each. Can you do it?'. I started explaining that for such amount the costume will have a minimum extra. I offered them to add 500$ of their own money. I.e. for 2 costumes the person had to add a 1000$ a season of their own money. They thought for a minute and said `Nope. Just do the minimum'. It's coming from a person who aims to the medals. And am sure they will waste the said 1000$ easily on a branded bag.
Marianchik: What do you think about the transformed dress Anna Scherbakova had?
Bolshakova: It's not new. We did it in the 80s with Irina Romanova (skated with Igor Yaroshenko). The idea was Irina's. She was always very creative in her costumes, would come with her own design and ended up studying that.
So the transformer dress is not a new thing, it was remembering the good old thing. I think the best costume award was rightly given the American pair Chock/Bates. Their costume was the highest level, very stylish. There are dresses who are well done and there are real designer work. This is what the Americans had.
Marianchik: Do you like the way Medvedeva's looks have changed ever since she moved to Canada?
Bolshakova: Certainly yes. I like everything that happens to Zhenya. After going through the dictatorship she kept her personality. Which is almost impossible in the Russian sport. What Sotskova and Popova say only support it. I do remember Betina - I was doing her `Carmen' dress. The most gorgeous girl comes in and she is sure she is fat and nothing suits her. Where is it coming from? Who convinced her that?
Marianchik: Who is your style idol in figure skating?
Bolshakova: Yuna Kim was always very stylish. Masha Sotskova stood out, but it's a different story - her mom copied the top fashion dresses and put the luxury brands on the ice. It's not the best practice -after all you are stealing the ideas. But it was well done and looked good.
Marianchik: How much does usually a designed dress cost?
Boshakova: Around 1.5K$. Depending on the material, the amount of work etc. But I never charge for the stones and the things around, I dont' care about that. Sometimes the simplest looking costume ends up being the most expensive. It's an expensive simplicity. These are the kind of dressed the champions usually pick. Taste is something you have to train from the very young age.
Anybody would be in such circumstances.....
