
It’s not like figure skating costumes have ever been a bastion of taste or restraint, but some of these outfits are so freaking weird I wonder how anyone ever thought they were appropriate to wear at the biggest athletic event in the world. 2006 and 2010 were particularly heinous years, which is strange because I assumed the 80s would yield the most offensive outfits. Honestly, I don’t know whether to hope the figure skating fashion gets a little bit better at the Sochi Olympics this year or pray that it remains WTF-worthy. Either way, it’s going to be fun to watch.
Katarina Witt at the 1988 Olympics
Katarina's costume for her short program at the 1988 games was so skimpy that it inspired the "Katarina rule, " dictating that costumes have to cover the entire hip and buttock. I'm not scandalized by seeing all that skin, but by the tacky showgirl-esque quality. Photo: by Bob Thomas/Getty ImagesOksana Baiul at the 1994 Olympics
Oksana Baiul may have won gold in this skating dress, but that doesn't mean it doesn't look like what a super femme flamingo would wear on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Vegas. Photo: Bob Thomas/Getty Images)Viktor Petrenko at the 1994 Olympics
Ok, this costume is technically from an exhibition, not an Olympic competition. But oh god. Oh god, the sequins. Photo: Pascal Rondeau/ALLSPORTJenni Meno and Todd Sand at the 1994 Olympics
These are just straight up ugly, y'all. Photo: Bob Thomas/Getty ImagesMarina Aganina and Artem Knyazev at the 2006 Olympics
My eyes. MY EYES! Photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty ImagesCarolina Kostner at the 2006 Olympics
Even though it was designed by Roberto Cavalli and is supposed to be stars and/or snowflakes, it looks like spiders. Spiders crawling alllllll over her while she skates. Photo: Bob Thomas/Getty ImagesElena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov at the 2006 Olympics
These Ukrainian ice dancers won the bronze medal. Must have been the tassels that put 'em over th edge. Photo: Adam Berry/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesIrina Slutskaya at the 2006 Olympics
This looks like the 4th of July for gymnasts. Photo: Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesDaisuke Takahashi at the 2010 Olympics
Japan's Daisuke Takahashi won the bronze medal in this outfit that reminds me of the composer Beethoven on acid. Photo: YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty ImagesNathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat at the 2010 Olympics
These French ice dancers went with an Old West theme and it looks both crappy and corny. Photo: YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty ImagesYOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

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