"My Crown Doesn't Fit": The Struggle of the Ballet Bun for Black-Figure Skaters
- Larí Estridge
- Jul 21, 2022
- 8 min read
Before second grade, I can recall never noticing my "blackness." My mother is white and Hispanic, and my dad is black, which puts me somewhere in between. It wasn't until we moved that I realized that other people thought I was "different." Growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, attending a primarily white school, and competing in a mostly white sport felt alienating as a mixed girl living in the Hudson Valley, New York.
My mom had always had my sister and me get our hair straightened before school began. We would wear the style as long as possible, have a wash day, then re-straighten. To defend my mother, she has pin-straight hair and had no idea what to do with our curls other than straightening or braiding. Up until maybe middle school, no one had seen my hair curly. I began figure skating in second grade, so this followed the same path.
Middle school comes around, and we have to do swimming classes. I come to school with straight tresses and leave with tight curly locks. To my surprise, everyone hated them. I heard whispers and snickers until someone finally said, "you look like Michael Jackson!" (obviously, as an adult, this hurts way less...but for some reason, this shattered my whole reality).
I never saw my hair as something to be mocked. I cried in the bathroom before my mom picked me up for skating lessons.
When I got to the rink, everyone was shocked. A couple of close training mates made fun of my appearance but were "just joking." Some coaches praised my hair, saying, "people would pay good money for hair like mine." None of it mattered. I knew I was different; my hair, skin, face, and body. I couldn't help but feel frustrated trying to get my curly edges down flat. I couldn't help being exhausted from staying up late doing my hair, then getting up early to straighten my hair. Everyone said I looked better like that anyway, so it stayed.
It wasn't until late high school that a friend told me to embrace my natural curls. "Your hair is falling out of your head. You need to give it a break. Please don't listen to these other people; they don't understand how beautiful our hair can be". This friend helped me find ways to care for my curls, and although I still had a lot of learning to do, I finally began a healing journey between me and my hair. I felt like I had been seen for the first time in a long time.
Fast forward to the present, I am coaching students of all ethnicities, which is something I thought I would never do. I have coaching peers who are of color, which was something I never once saw during my ten years of competing. I take on a young girl who is mixed like me! She has soft curls but has permanently straightened them because her guardians don't have her hair type. I have always seen her battle her hair and hide it from others. I saw myself in the little girl trying to laugh off the remarks about how "bad her hair looks." Recently, she had braids installed. She was in love with the style until we hit a roadblock:
"...How do we put this into a bun?"
After searching Google, I had no luck finding ballet bun options for protective styles. These braids were THICK, heavy, and difficult to put into a ponytail, never mind a sleek ballet bun. We had minor success after lots of trial and error. I managed to braid the hair and secure it with 1000+ hair ties, bobby pins, and a hair net. If anyone would like this complicated tutorial, just let me know.
It was great the first two times, but after I began "losing my touch," I could see the frustration growing within her. I knew it wasn't directed at me but herself and her hair.
Why couldn't it just be easy like it is for everyone else?
Now, being the momma coach I am, I have dreaded goddess braid extensions to see if they could work for my lil' mixed girl. After 6+ hours in a seat getting my scalp destroyed, I loved my new hair– but I knew immediately that it would not go into a bun neatly.
I was lucky as a skater. My shoulder-length, delicate curls could be pressed into flat strands and slicked up into a ballet bun easier than many of my fellow skaters of color. Those with more textured tresses had a harder time finding a balance between a "sleek ballet bun" and "destroyed edges and torn ends." I can't imagine how a skater with protective styles like locs, braids, wigs, and so on would ever pull off the "look."
The look of fitting in with the rest of them.
I recall seeing one skater growing up who wore her hair in protective styles to practice and even competitions. She wasn't just an "okay" skater either; she was competing at Junior Grand Prix. I wish I could go back to ask her how she managed the weight of her hair when spinning and jumping and how she ever managed to get her hair into a hair tie.
Based on her YouTube videos, her competition hairstyles included sectioned ponytails or a large, low bun with her curls popping out of the top. It all looked so chic and polished– and I'm sitting here nine years later crying because I can't figure out how to sleep with my faux dreads.
Another issue I'm finding now is not just looking like the other skaters but also dealing with the physical problems that some protective styles give figure skaters. These styles include, but are not limited to:
a lack of center due to hair weight (on jumps and spins)
neck pain
scalp tension from attempting to do tighter hairstyles
upper back pain
damage to curl pattern due to constant detangling and straightening.
So, I suppose that brings me to my main focus point: "my crown doesn't fit." This phrase means many things to me. My "crown," or hair, doesn't fit physically into a ballet bun. It doesn't fit in with the other skaters' hair. It isn't fit for optimal aerodynamics. Even before putting my hair into locs, I had to constantly battle my hair and many other battles in a sport I loved so much. When someone told me my curly baby hairs were "unprofessional," I began using Got2Be "Glued" gel and hairspray combo daily partnered with metal hair clips and headbands. It's an understatement to say my edges were ripped away from me faster than Mirai Nagasu's chance at being on the Sochi Olympic Team.
What is the solution? With my student, we managed to pull something together, but there has to be a better option. Based on my research, here are the best protective or natural hairstyles for competitive figure skating.
1) Cornrows or Flat Twists into a bun
If your protective styles include cornrows or flat twists, you'll find an easy way to incorporate this style into your competition routine. Make a ponytail depending on where you want your bun to sit. To secure, use an additional hair tie. For thicker hair, you may find a hair tie meant for thick hair, or even a headband may work better (be mindful of material and thickness!). After this, twist the remaining hair around the base of the ponytail (or do the same with a 3-strand braid). Swirl around the bottom. Secure with another hair tie. Use long bobby pins to secure the bun. Ensure they interlock with the hairs closest to the scalp so that the bun doesn't "float away" when rotating (which pulls the skater off their axis). It would help if you also crisscrossed the bobby pins, so they don't slide out. After pinning the bun, use a ballet hair net (or regular hair net for thicker hair) and secure it by tightly twisting the remaining netting and tucking the ends into the bun. Secure with an additional hair tie and probably a max of 4 interlocked bobby pins. (Fun fact, put the ridged side down so it can grip curlier textures better. You can also twist some bobby pins to make them even more secure, but I found this doesn't tend to work on thicker braids.)
2) Half-up, half-down Sisterlocs
During my last competitive season, I did a big chop to start my hair journey (which I ruined when dying my hair blue on a whim), which allowed me to skate with my hair down. The most important part was that it went with the style of music and stayed out of my face. I have fine hair, so weight wasn't an issue for me. If you're considering this style, it is best to have shorter locs.
3) Box Braids into a "military bun."
Searching for "natural hair military buns" can be super helpful when looking for style inspo. This military bun tutorial by Shay Barnes is excellent for those who don't want to debulk or half braid their hair. Box braids are a popular protective style that– with lower densities especially– can be put into a very tight bun if added weight threatens your performance.
4) Braided Up-Do
This style is one of my favorites for most hair types because it has a bit more personality than the standard ballerina bun. It is also relatively easy and can be personalized depending on your braiding skills.
Start by tying the hair into a ponytail slightly higher than the base of the head. Next, braid the loose hair into a 3-strand braid (if you can french braid, you could also do this instead of the hair tie and three-strand). Secure the braid with a rubber elastic band. Take the braid and bring it up to the top of the head. Tuck the remaining ends down behind the braid and pin it in place. Overlap bobby pins down the braid, anchoring them as close to the root as possible to prevent "floating." Feel free to add some twist-in hair accessories for added glamour.
5) Don't forget about boys' and men's styles!
Male athletes of color have many more options besides having short hair. Wearing protective styles on the ice can be possible and polished looking. Try incorporating braids into puffs or buns, or play with parting for shorter cuts. Of course, all the options above are unisex and can work for men's styles!
These two options have "puffs," but male skaters can achieve sleeker buns by braiding all hair and twisting it into a bun or using a hair net. If you want more volume, feel free to add hair pieces or extensions as long as they are lightweight!
Braids and designs in parting can be excellent ways for skaters to show their personality through their crowns. It could be fun incorporating designs to fit the music of the program or even inter-braiding colorful strands. You could add crystals to part sections to conceal some of the visible scalp and add more flair (girls don't get to have ALL the fun after all).
Our hair is our roots, beauty, and traditional way of dealing with our locks in this world. For Black men and women, our hair represents much more than a "style." Protective styles are essential for our hair health and can beautiful works of art. While some of these styles may not necessarily work on the ice, so many do. Regardless of background, every skater should be free to express their originality and represent their heritage whichever way they want without receiving sneaky Component Score reductions. Save your ends, edges, and identity, and allow your crown to shine– It's about the skating anyway.
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