Editorial: A Redefining Moment for Alysa Liu — and All Women
By • March 10, 2026 0 295
Women’s History Month began on March 1, fresh off the heels of the successful Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games. A breakout star at the games was a young woman, 20-year-old figure skater Alysa Liu, whose joyful, devil-may-care routine to Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park” earned her a gold medal.
Liu, who retired in 2022, came back for the 2024-25 skating season on her own terms. The difference this time was that it was purely for the joy of the sport. Her routine showed it, too. Watching it, even multiple times, you can’t help but smile.
That pure joy and freedom is something many high-achieving women (like most women in D.C.) yearn for. As women, we are constantly made to compete against each other, to work through burnout and to bury mental health and self-care as the last thing on our to-do lists. After all, there’s work, kids, making sure we stay in shape, you name it.
For Liu, it was all that tenfold, as figure skating is a notoriously exhausting sport.
When Liu skated out for her routine, it was a truly redefining moment — not only for her, but all women. She wasn’t having fun and enjoying figure skating, so she stepped back and focused on herself. She spent time with friends, enrolled at UCLA and evolved. Liu took the time for herself, and it paid off. Her routine was flawless, her body looked capable and athletic.
Skating purely for herself, Liu truly had the time of her life, sharing her art with the world, as she says.
Like that of another strong woman before her, fellow gold medalist Dorothy Hamill, Liu’s haircut has sparked a trend. She explained that her striped “halo hair,” designed to be like the rings on a tree, symbolized her growth and evolution.
Liu’s story is a great example for women. Prioritize your mental health. Take that break if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Finally make an appointment with a therapist. Meditate. Leave work at a normal hour and get to the yoga class you keep missing.
As accomplished, driven Washington women, we should strive to be more like Alysa. It’s high time.
