The rebellious ‘ice angel’ look helps America quench its gold thirst

Alysa Liu, who won two gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, not only attracted attention with her achievements but also revolutionized the ice rink with her rebellious Gen Z style, breaking the long-held feminine stereotypes of figure skating.

Retiring at age 16 to win a double gold medal at the 2026 Olympics.

Alysa Liu (Korean name: Lưu Mỹ Hiền), a 20-year-old figure skater from Richmond (San Francisco Bay Area, California), is being watched by the world as she ends the US’s more than two-decade-long gold medal drought in women’s singles figure skating at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.

The American-Chinese “ice angel” also won the team gold medal. Vanity Fair said she captivated global audiences with her “IDGAF” (I Don’t Give a F***) spirit.

“Ice angel” Alysa Liu wins Olympic gold medal in figure skating. Photo: Getty, The New York Times.

Many viewers commented that Liu possessed a captivating and calm demeanor that contrasted with the serious, disciplined image often associated with figure skating and the focused, smileless appearance typically expected of an Olympic athlete.

Alysa Liu joined Team USA just four years after announcing her retirement at age 16. “I started skating at age 5, which is about 11 years on the ice, and those were crazy 11 years. Lots of good things and lots of bad things. I feel fulfilled with my skating career. Now that I’ve accomplished my goal, I’m moving on with life,” she shared on Instagram in 2022.

Just two years later, she returned to the ice. “Taking a break from figure skating was good for me, and I’m incredibly excited to be back with a fresh perspective,” she shared.

As she gradually settled back into her profession, her appearance also evolved into an image that’s now “taking over” the internet. First came her blonde-brown striped hair, styled by Kelsey Miller in St. Louis. The dyeing process took five hours, and this hairstyle has been requested by many other clients at Miller’s salon.

Next up is the frenulum piercing – a piece of jewelry that goes through the gum tissue inside the upper lip. In an interview with NBC , Liu said she pierced it herself. “I had my sister hold my lip, look in the mirror, and use a needle to pierce it myself,” she recounted about two years ago. In the 2024 podcast, she said the motivation was simply… to save money. “Piercing at a shop is ridiculously expensive, so I thought I’d teach myself.”

Part of Alysa Liu’s philosophy of life is uncompromising. “These titles are huge, but I don’t want them to overshadow who I am, what I do, and my nature. Winning isn’t everything, and neither is losing,” Liu said after winning the gold medal.

“During my retirement, I realized I’m a creative person; I have my own ideas. I have my own sense of style and I’m quite stubborn about it. I love choreography and music, and I do things my own way. Nobody tells me what to do.”

Gen Z faces are rewriting the image of figure skaters.

Harpers Bazaar commented that Alysa Liu is doing things differently. She challenges long-standing norms about fashion, beauty, and self-expression in the world of figure skating.

At the Winter Olympics, figure skaters are judged based on a variety of factors, not all of which are directly related to their performance.

Skating attire is strictly regulated for both safety and image reasons. According to the official regulations of the International Skating Union (ISU), costumes must be modest, dignified, and appropriate for competition. Garments that are overly flashy or theatrical are prohibited, and even a minor incident during a performance, such as a sequin falling off, can result in the athlete losing a point.

In theory, this rule aims to prevent clothing from becoming a distraction, so that attention is focused on the performance, with style playing only a supporting role to the music and choreography. In practice, it inadvertently reinforces a rather monotonous image of a professional figure skater’s appearance, emphasizing femininity, elegance, and a certain degree of sophistication.

This time, Alysa Liu stirred things up with her fashion sense and undeniable talent. She brilliantly won the gold medal in the freestyle skating event with a performance set to Donna Summer’s MacArthur Park Suite . This was her second gold medal at the Olympics, following her earlier victory in the team event.

In an interview with Paralympic athlete Haven Shepherd, Alysa Liu revealed that she dyed her stripes three years ago. “I thought that around this time next year, at the end of December, I would do a second round. And I did,” she said. In December 2025, she will add a third round. The idea is to mark the passage of time, like how tree trunk rings represent age. She dyes the stripes herself and still goes to the salon to maintain the vibrant yellow color.

Having complete creative freedom was also a key factor. During her appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show , the 20-year-old athlete said: “This time I had a lot of creative control. I got to choose what the dress looked like, what colors to use. Sometimes I would draw really bad sketches and send them to the designer to see if she could decipher them. I chose the music, controlled the schedule, and drove myself.”

Even the outfit she wore on the talk show highlighted her personality: a black mini wool dress, a low-waist flared skirt with a red plaid pattern, paired with a dark shirt and jeans. She wore a studded choker and belt, leaning heavily towards a 1990s punk style, completely unlike the image of a traditional figure skater.

Off the ice, she favors graphic t-shirts, chunky boots, fishnet stockings, edgy hats, camouflage patterns, and a predominantly black and red color palette.

On the court, outfits like the Nike mini skirt paired with leopard print tights or Lisa McKinnon’s custom asymmetrical designs all reflect a natural continuation, inspired by Alysa Liu’s everyday wardrobe.