Repercussions of Papadakis' book & Cizeron's response

[DreamSkates]

I work in publishing and Gabi would have had no say as to the timing of the book's release. And if it was actually some kind of "revenge" story, it would have never seen the light of day. Gabi isn't an A-list celebrity so such a book wouldn't have been worth the risk to the publisher.

A list in figure skating. She should sue him for damages rather than writing a book. Or have dissolved the partnership much earlier. She's an adult. Respect yourself more than your career. The French figure skating authorities would have wanted to know? Or were they complicit?
Had she wanted to make a bigger impact, publish the book before the last Olympics.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

It's not. The Papadakis/Cizeron book was published by Marabout editions and at the time Gabriella and Guillaume had a PR agent: Ninon Bardel. She's still Guillaume and Laurence's PR. Gabriella, AFAIK, has no PR agent and relies on her editor's.

Ah, that makes sense. If an editor has actually approached someone about writing a book, it tends to mean that the editor thinks the person has a story worth telling. Not that Amazon rankings mean much, but the book is currently ranked number 1 in the "Biographies, Diaries & True Accounts in French" on amazon.com.

 

[MacMadame]

Everything I read so far sounds like she should had said to her shrink in a privacy of the shrink's room. But I start to get a feeling it's a French common thing releasing a book with things that should had been kept private. [snip]. Papadakis' book sounds the same French thing?

There are plenty of books like this published by people who aren't French. People write about their experiences for many reasons. I will withhold judgment until I can read it myself. (In English so I'm not mislead by Google Translate. )

Something to keep in mind: people have read excerpts and some have read them via an online translator. Few have read the whole book. And it seems like people are also pulling out the most salacious bits without context. It is unlikely that a book that spans a multiple decades skating career is entirely about traumatic events and entirely about Cizeron and/or IAM.

And the criticism of IAM not being a supportive environment for women goes beyond Papadakis, and reports of his narcissism have been around for years, nothing new.

And people have said they have heard him yelling at her at the rink.

It's not like these things are coming out of nowhere, as we have seen with other skaters who are accused of things, sometimes even worse, with none of us being the wiser until the accusations become public. We can have opinions about what happened and who was right and who was wrong when we drill down to individual situations, but the big picture says that nothing we've heard so far is unbelievable at a big picture level.

And really, what has this book said? She had bad things happen to her and felt unsupported and, at times, pressured by her team because they were focused on winning. Is that so hard to believe? It's a common story in skating and in elite sports in general.

As for there being two sides to every story, what we have seen so far are reports of Gabby's feelings. Feelings are feelings. They are neither right nor wrong, and if someone feels something, they feel it. There is no other "truth." You can say you wouldn't have felt the same in the same situation, but you can't say she didn't feel what she felt.

 

[genevieve]

Wasn’t Kwan’s Heart of a Champion published either right after or maybe even before the 1998 Olys? I assume some publisher wanted to strike While FS was all the rage in the US. As big of a Kwan fan as I am, I haven’t read that because I don’t think anyone under 20 can write a truly compelling memoir because there is no distance from things that have happened to them. I would read a memoir or autobiography from her now because there is so much more to her post-skating, and I think the way she’d tell that story would be different now.

I am interested in Papadakis’s book but also think the short timeline from her break with Cizeron may show more pain than clarity. Which isn’t wrong - it’s her story! But relaying something while you’re still deep in the feelings is different than once you’ve really moved on.

 

[cholla]

And people have said they have heard him yelling at her at the rink.

Cizeron is not someone who actually yells often. He rarely raises his voice. He barks in icy tones, that, yes. He snaps. He has dismissive moves. He rolls his eyes. He sighs. He is good at being passive agressive.

But well, I've known them, as media, only for their whole career, (and through some of their team mates, one being family) so it's not as if I could be reliable Not saying that to you Mac, but for weeks now, I've been told that Cizeron was a saint, Mr Perfect who I didn't know one bit and that I was to be sent to the funny farm along with Gabriella.

 

[MacMadame]

Cizeron is not someone who actually yells often. He rarely raises his voice. He barks in icy tones, that, yes. He snaps. He has dismissive moves. He rolls his eyes. He sighs. He is good at being passive agressive.

Ugh, I hate that almost as much as yelling. It's so hard to combat.

 

[Rukia]

Ugh, I hate that almost as much as yelling. It's so hard to combat.

and it's so much easier for people to say "oh you're just taking it the wrong way" or "well i don't really see it"

 

[cholla]

Ugh, I hate that almost as much as yelling. It's so hard to combat.

I think that it's worse. When you yell people hear you and can't deny it happened.

 

[kosjenka]

Recollections may vary.

I hoped and was under some of the impression that Gabriela was doing significantly better since officially ending the partnership. After hearing her today at that radio show and partly reading some stuff from the book, I’m pretty sure she is not.

And frankly, I have see very little to doubt her recollections, but when she speaks about her feelings regarding others and their actions, I see that people(fans) are taking those as facts of a matter and reason to judge those described in the memoir.

I think it doesn't have to be brilliantly explained that the launch of her ex-partner's new partnership and their huge success have motivated everyone for this book to come out precisely now.

That's great for her message and story to get the highest impact & reach, but not being able to do everything else is a price to pay here. I find it revengeful indicating that Guillaume is equivalent to the oppressive system she’s speaking against and that she’s now being silenced for that while losing a career opportunity.

 

[PRlady]

It's not. The Papadakis/Cizeron book was published by Marabout editions and at the time Gabriella and Guillaume had a PR agent: Ninon Bardel. She's still Guillaume and Laurence's PR. Gabriella, AFAIK, has no PR agent and relies on her editor's.

I volunteer. Although she could do a lot better.

 

[MacMadame]

I think that it's worse. When you yell people hear you and can't deny it happened.

I meant it is less triggering to me personally. But, yes, part of why I hate passive-aggressiveness so much is that it's hard to combat without looking like the bad guy and also it so easy to excuse because the words can be innocuous without context and without tone of voice and/or body language.

That's great for her message and story to get the highest impact & reach, but not being able to do everything else is a price to pay here. I find it revengeful indicating that Guillaume is equivalent to the oppressive system she’s speaking against and that she’s now being silenced for that while losing a career opportunity.

I don't think it's revengeful at all. NBC literally told her that it was his lawyer's Cease and Desist letter that caused them to let her go. That is just a fact. Was she supposed to lie to spare him?

Here is the article about her termination:

Patinage: "J'étais dans une situation dangereuse pour ma santé", affirme Gabriella Papadakis

L'ancienne patineuse Gabriella Papadakis, qui raconte dans un livre son ressenti sur sa carrière et sa relation avec son partenaire Guillaume Cizeron, estime avoir été dans une "situation dangereuse…

www.france24.com

In it, she makes it very clear that what happened to her was part of a toxic system rather than individual people being evil. Even when giving the invitation to slag Cizeron, she does not.

She also said she unpacked a lot of her past with a therapist, so good for her.