One-piece garment covering the torso, arms, and legs
A unitard is a skintight, one-piece garment with long legs and sometimes long sleeves, usually stopping at the wrists and ankles.[1] It differs from a leotard which does not have long legs.[2] The leotard is also usually considered a more feminine clothing item, while the unitard is not.[1][3] The garment can be thought of as a combination of a leotard and leggings, and was historically called a "one-piece long legged leotard".[4] The term unitard is mostly used in relation to sports, while it is usually referred to as a catsuit in other contexts.
In 1985, Anne White's decision to wear a white unitard for the first two sets of a match in the Women's Singles Championship at Wimbledon was widely reported.[5][6] Unitards remain an unusual sight in some sports such as tennis, although Serena Williams wore one during a 2013 Wimbledon practice,[7] and during the 2018 French Open (after which the garment type was banned there).[8][note 1]
In the 90s, wearing unitards in figure skating was "illegal in competition and discouraged in practice". And although modern rules allow them, they remain a rare sight in competitions, where dresses are seen as more appropriate by conservative judges.[9]
Colourful unitards are the trademark of fitness coach Mr Motivator.[11][12]
Usage elsewhere
Superheroes in comics, ads, TV shows and films are frequently depicted wearing costumes that resemble unitards, although they are rarely called that explicitly.[13]The members of the rock band Queen were known for wearing unitards during their concerts in the late 1970s.[14] Some of the uniforms worn by female characters in the Star Trek franchise have been called unitards, and criticized for promoting sexiness.[15]
^It is called a "catsuit" in the article, but should more appropriately have been called a "unitard".
References
^ a bBellerose, Samantha (24 August 2019). "Leotard vs. Unitard: What's The Difference & Why Do Dancers Need Both?". danceparent101.com. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
^Votaw, Ann (24 August 2017). "3 Things Most Millennials Will Never Know About the Leotard". Observer. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
^Lennon, Jake (12 July 2022). "Unitards vs. Leotards: The key differences + full guide". Newtypeofclass.com. NTOC. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
^Strassel, Annemarie (2012). "Designing Women: Feminist Methodologies in American Fashion". Women's Studies Quarterly. 41 (1/2): 52–53. ISSN 0732-1562. JSTOR 23611770.
^Elliott, Josh (2000-07-31). "Anne White With an unintentional fashion statement, she left her mark on tennis". SI Vault. Time Inc. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
^"White in White". The End of the Century. ESPN. 2000-12-23. Retrieved 2012-06-27.
^Chase, Chris (18 June 2013). "Serena Williams practiced at Wimbledon in a multicolored unitard". USA Today. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
^Nittle, Nadra (28 August 2018). "The Serena Williams catsuit ban shows that tennis can't get past its elitist roots". Vox. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
^Fetters, Ashley (17 February 2018). "Why Don't More Female Figure Skaters Wear Pants?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
^Lukas, Paul (25 March 2016). "Uni Watch's Friday Flashback: When NC State wore infamous unitards". ABC News. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
^Fox-Leonard, Boudicca (11 March 2019). "Mr Motivator: 'I'm back! But what's happened to the world of fitness since I left?'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
^Myers, Hayley (11 January 2020). "Mr Motivator: 'The unitard was my idea'". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
^Chabon, Michael (3 March 2008). "Secret Skin". The New Yorker. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
^"Freddie Mercury's clothes - The style icon". Mother Mercury. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
^Kuku, Diepiriye (21 May 2010). "Starfleet Unitards for Women". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2023.