U.S.Women [#9]: Now That's What I'm F*@&%!$ Talking About!

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I’m a total fan of her personal aesthetic. I think it’s great.

How Alysa Liu’s signature halo hair came together.

Beauty Studio on Instagram: "From concept to crown. ✨ Alysa Liu’s signature halo hair didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of years of intention, growth, and expert styling. Hairstylist @kelsey.styles.hair shared how she helped Alysa get what

82K likes, 258 comments - beautystudio on February 11, 2026: "From concept to crown. ✨ Alysa Liu’s signature halo hair didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of years of intention, growth, and expert styling. Hairstylist @kelsey.styles.hair shared how she helped Alysa get what she really...

www.instagram.com

 

[Badams]

Maybe pick a different, better part of the internet to visit? I haven't seen or heard any criticism about her hair.

I stupidly read the comments every single time. I can't stop myself.

 

[beckab81]

My 73 year old mother was talking to me about Alysa & how much she enjoyed her skate, and said "I think I like her hair now". I joked that it's stockholm syndrome after listening to me talk about skating for so long, but I think it's just something about Alysa!

 

[TalentedButHumble]

Threads adores her and rightly so.

Zoe (@tchotchkeez) on Threads

I’m going to put up her picture in my house like the Irish do with JFK

www.threads.com

Taylor Coffman (@taylorcoffmanmade) on Threads

Get in babes, we’re gonna eat whatever we want, dance to Donna Summer, not care what anyone thinks and rule the world.

www.threads.com

 

[Luna_Soleil_Johnson]

You could see how everything changed immediately after the Russians were banned after the Olympics a month later at Worlds in Montpellier when Kaori, Leona and Alysa were on the women's podium after the ladies event and how they were laughing, smiling and giggling with each other and no one was off to the side crying and pouting or being let alone with no coach supporting them.

Kaori was just crying these Olympics, LOL.

 

[Taso]

Kaori was just crying these Olympics, LOL.

Oh yeah it was just hysterical

LOL?

LOL?

Who the heck are you? Or rather, just leave.

 

[Luna_Soleil_Johnson]

Oh yeah it was just hysterical

LOL?

LOL?

Who the heck are you? Or rather, just leave.

I was pointing out the idocity of the whole "this years podium is so much better than 2022" take.

 

[Luna_Soleil_Johnson]

Oh yeah it was just hysterical

LOL?

LOL?

Who the heck are you? Or rather, just leave.

**** you!

 

[Luna_Soleil_Johnson]

Oh yeah it was just hysterical

LOL?

LOL?

Who the heck are you? Or rather, just leave.

Funk you.

 

[ice coverage]

A celebration was held at Winter House for all U.S. skaters who competed at 2026 Olympics, and in the latter part of the video package linked below, each of the sixteen skaters gets called individually to the stage before a toast to/with the group.
(I assume that USFS hosted the celebration -- I believe the video shows glimpses of USFS CEO Matt Farrell as "emcee".)

I'm putting the video in this thread because in an earlier part, I think a clip shows Alysa presenting Order of Ikkos medals to Phillip and Massimo (starting at approx. 0:34).

Team USA celebrates figure skaters at the Winter House | Winter Olympics 2026 | NBC Sports

After a successful showing at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Games, the U.S. figure skating team celebrated at the Winter House. Alysa Liu thanked her coache...

www.youtube.com

(3:43, published Feb 21 by NBC Sports)

ETA:​

And then Team USA video on social media confirmed that Order of Ikkos ceremony took place at the Winter House celebration.​

As mentioned above, Alysa presented to Phillip and Massimo.
Amber "presented" to Damon (in absentia); Ilia "presented" to both parents (both in absentia); Ellie and Danny presented to Drew Meekins.​

https://www.instagram.com/p/DVDtrKjEVgE/ (Feb 22)
https://www.tiktok.com/@teamusa/video/7609646718300294430​

In the Team USA video, the face of Madi and Evan's recipient is not visible from behind, but the USOPC list linked below says Patch Lauzon was their choice, which would make sense.​

Order of Ikkos

The USOPC established Order of Ikkos beginning in 2008 as a symbol of excellence in coaching and to recognize the efforts of coaches whose athletes medal during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This medal is inspired by Ikkos, the first recorded coach...

www.usopc.org

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

It has begun!!!

And this one is pink, and I kind of like it

Chicago Queer Stylist on Instagram: "Obsessed w/ this color combo 💞🤎 accepting appointments for march🧚‍♂️ 🌇📍Chicago . #chicagohairstylist #chicagoqueer #AlternativeHair #altstylist pinkhair"

123K likes, 400 comments - thehairfairy.soph on February 19, 2026: "Obsessed w/ this color combo 💞🤎 accepting appointments for march🧚‍♂️ 🌇📍Chicago . #chicagohairstylist #chicagoqueer #AlternativeHair #altstylist pinkhair".

www.instagram.com

 

[Prancer]

Funk you.

Welcome to FSU. If you want to stay, you might want to put some thought into your communication style.

 

[barbk]

I'm not sure if this was already posted, but Adam Rippon's interview at Lisa McKinnon's costume design studio was fabulous. He's become an incredibly good interviewer, and it was fascinating to see the detail that goes into the costume process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MeOBzDa8Ws

 

[coppertop1]

I was pointing out the idocity of the whole "this years podium is so much better than 2022" take.

Do you really not know the difference? Trusova was having a breakdown.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Alysa Liu and Her 'I Don't Give a Damn' Aesthetic Has Captivated The World

Alysa Liu and Her 'I Don't Give a Damn' Aesthetic Has Captivated The World — Vanity Fair

With her extraordinary style and carefree attitude, gold medal winning Alysa Liu has brought a breath of fresh air to the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

apple.news

With her extraordinary style and carefree attitude, gold medal winning Alysa Liu has brought a breath of fresh air to the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.



Everything Alysa Liu Has Said About Her 'Alternative' Style — And the Piercing She Did Herself

Everything Alysa Liu Has Said About Her 'Alternative' Style — And the Piercing She Did Herself — TODAY

The Olympian says her style is more "masculine" when she's not competing on the ice.

apple.news

Per the Cleveland Clinic, a frenulum, also known as a frenum, is a "thin, ropelike piece of tissue that connects two bodily structures." In your mouth, you have two types of frenulums: a tongue and a lip frenulum. The lip frenulum is a piece of tissue that connects your lips to your gums.

In an interview with NBC, Liu said she pierced her lip frenulum two years ago.

"I did it myself. I had my sister hold up my lip and I was like looking in the mirror and I had my piercing needle and then, yeah, I just put it through," she said.

 

[Sylvia]

Many thanks to @BittyBug for sharing this gift link to yet another excellent article by The Athletic's Senior Columnist, Bay Area's Marcus Thompson, in Alysa's fan thread:

I don’t think this NYT article has been posted yet (gifted link):

Alysa Liu’s defining Olympic night and a shine that bucks her sport’s expectations

Liu's gold medal, a first for an American woman in figure skating since 2002, challenges the sport's conventions about rigidity.

www.nytimes.com

Excerpt from the end:

Liu understands who she is well before self-discovery tends to happen. She can’t legally purchase alcohol in the States, but she knows what she values in this world. She’s found freedom while being a young adult in an era of social media, which can operate as a predatory arm of forces manipulating minds. She’s choreographed peace in a sport that attacks it in its athletes. With its minuscule margin for error. With its relentlessly discerning eyes. With every tenth of a point.
With a gold medal on the line, with history in her grasp, with potential crushing disappointment looming, Liu wasn’t fazed. She danced on blades as if no one was watching, because she knew everyone was watching.
“I say it all the time,” DiGuglielmo said. “She’s not like us.”
And when that’s in you, may as well put it on you. So Liu commissioned the perfect dress for her perfect moment. Like her defining night, it was hella gold.

"Somewhere, Marshawn Lynch smiled."
Lynch's shout out to Alysa before her FS: https://www.tiktok.com/@nbcsports/video/7608285697895599374

KTVU Oakland's story Hella Oakland: Marshawn Lynch champions Alysa Liu to win gold. And she does: https://www.ktvu.com/news/hella-oakland-marshawn-lynch-champions-alysa-liu-win-gold

 

[Sylvia]

Phil Hersh's latest article says Alysa is planning to compete at Worlds:

Alysa Liu did it her way

Alysa Liu will leave the Milan Cortina Games to train for the upcoming World Figure Skating Championships in March, where she will aim to defend her title.

www.nbcolympics.com

“No press tour right away, no nothing,” coach Phillip DiGuglielmo said Saturday via telephone from Milan, not long before Liu closed down the exhibition gala’s solo performances.
“We have to figure out how we are going to train (for worlds). We may have to ask the rink management (in Oakland, Calif.) to close the rink when she trains because of the attention she has gotten. “Dealing with that kind of attention is not what she wants now. She doesn’t want to be famous. She wants to be Alysa.”

After the World Championships, in which the women’s event is March 25 (short program) and March 27 (free skate), Liu will immediately go to Japan for eight shows in nine days with the Stars on Ice Japan tour.
Four days later, she will start the Stars on Ice U.S. tour, with 26 shows over six weeks.
“Alysa is going to have some time for herself, but it won’t be much, because we leave for Prague March 21,” DiGuglielmo said.
Once the shows are over, Liu will begin thinking of programs for next season.
“People are telling her, `You could skate four more years, be in another Olympics,’’’ DiGuglielmo said. “The sport could be very different in four more years.”

 

[miffy]

I love Alysa but I hope people don’t try to copy her by doing a piercing themselves. That could be awful if people don’t know what they are doing

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I love Alysa but I hope people don’t try to copy her by doing a piercing themselves.

Too late.

Guiltyyyyyyyyyyy.

 

[Calebpuppydad]

I have never been so happy to be proven wrong so many times. When Alysa chose MacArthur Park for her 2024-2025 season long program, I thought "this light hearted vehicle can't garner high PCS." Her unbridled exuberance proved me wrong.

I love Alysa but I hope people don’t try to copy her by doing a piercing themselves. That could be awful if people don’t know what they are doing

Don't worry about me. I hate injecting my cholesterol medication in my thigh!

 

[Private Citizen]

I love Alysa but I hope people don’t try to copy her by doing a piercing themselves. That could be awful if people don’t know what they are doing

I feel like most of Alysa's look should come with a "do not try this at home" disclaimer .

 

[sk9tingfan]

The new short and free skates for next year.....

 

[Sylvia]

Isabeau was interviewed on the Unfiltered Waters podcast (Olympic swimmers Katie Hoff & Missy Franklin both attended Nationals in St. Louis) - Hoff recorded this series of special "Frozen Waters" episodes with the Team USA skaters there (10 mins.; this final episode was uploaded on Feb. 22, 2026): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOt9vnNRL3E

Katie sits down with Isabeau Levito, 2024 World silver medalist and 2023 U.S. National champion, for a candid conversation about expectations, confidence, and staying true to herself on the road to the Olympics. Isabeau reflects on the pressure of being “one of the expected spots,” the difference between skating because you get to versus because you have to, and how learning to sit with expectations has shaped her growth. She opens up about not giving up on hard days, building a strong ballet foundation, and why being a “fighter” matters more than perfection. Playful, self-aware, and unapologetically authentic—yes, her word is “diva”—this conversation closes out Frozen Waters as a deeper look at the journeys, identities, and inner lives of Team USA figure skaters on the road to the Games.

Re-posting from their respective fan threads and the previous U.S. Women's news thread... Alysa was the first Team USA figure skater on the "Frozen Waters" podcast series that premiered on Feb. 4, 2026 with Alysa's episode (10 mins.): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oRJJWwoFKk&t=131s

Alysa reflects on stepping away from the sport at a young age, trusting her intuition, and returning with a renewed sense of creativity, connection, and purpose. She opens up about self-expression through skating, fashion, and choreography, the importance of saying no to outside noise, and why “connection” is the word that grounds everything she does. Honest, thoughtful, and uniquely her, this conversation sets the tone for Frozen Waters...

Amber's interview was uploaded on Feb. 18 (10 mins.): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTSip0Jup8M&t=91s

Amber reflects on the pressure of performing under expectation, the milliseconds that separate success from mistake, and what it really takes to adjust in real time when things don’t go as planned. She opens up about embracing nerves instead of fighting them, staying grounded through rhythm and preparation, and why taking ownership of her artistry—from music to costumes to hair and makeup—has been central to her growth. Honest, self-assured, and fiercely resilient, this conversation continues the heart of Frozen Waters...

 

[Cachoo]

It has begun!!!

And this one is pink, and I kind of like it

Chicago Queer Stylist on Instagram: "Obsessed w/ this color combo 💞🤎 accepting appointments for march🧚‍♂️ 🌇📍Chicago . #chicagohairstylist #chicagoqueer #AlternativeHair #altstylist pinkhair"

123K likes, 400 comments - thehairfairy.soph on February 19, 2026: "Obsessed w/ this color combo 💞🤎 accepting appointments for march🧚‍♂️ 🌇📍Chicago . #chicagohairstylist #chicagoqueer #AlternativeHair #altstylist pinkhair".

www.instagram.com

Aaahh. I wondered. I remember how crazy people went over Dorothy’s wedge hairstyle after she won the Olympics.

 

[Yazmeen]

I hope Isabeau tries to remaster the 4toe also. I remember her trying one at a summer comp back before she even won her junior title.

Your thoughts...

One thing that struck me was the interview Isabeau gave at one point, just unloading about how much she was enjoying her experience in the Olympic village because she's never lived in a dorm, and she was having so much fun hanging with the other Olympians, etc. - and then jokingly pleading that they can't evict her:

Knowing skaters and coaches who skate at her home rink, my hope for Isabeau is to "do an Alysa" and take agency of her own skating from now on since she's now an adult. Meaning living where she wants to live, being coached by who she wants to be coached by and choosing her own programs and costumes and being HERSELF.

And I'll leave it there...

 

[Wyliefan]

One thing that struck me was the interview Isabeau gave at one point, just unloading about how much she was enjoying her experience in the Olympic village because she's never lived in a dorm, and she was having so much fun hanging with the other Olympians, etc. - and then jokingly pleading that they can't evict her:

Knowing skaters and coaches who skate at her home rink, my hope for Isabeau is to "do an Alysa" and take agency of her own skating from now on since she's now an adult. Meaning living where she wants to live, being coached by who she wants to be coached by and choosing her own programs and costumes and being HERSELF.

And I'll leave it there...

This is the second time you've left it there. Which is making me wonder about the definition of "leaving it there."

 

[Yazmeen]

This is the second time you've left it there. Which is making me wonder about the definition of "leaving it there

This is the second time you've left it there. Which is making me wonder about the definition of "leaving it there."

The impression I've gotten from Isabeau and from those who know her is that she'd simply like a little more freedom and say in her skating, especially now that she's an adult. That's all.

 

[Sylvia]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2025605949080166664

Gifted link by Sally Jenkins: https://www.theatlantic.com/culture...t=Klof0Wgy0RTUKQp48ZrIq4q9FpzjVLZrAFN8IjQUa7g