sorry guys, i'll try to write more later today if i get a chance, but i'm exhausted.
here is a video i found on youtube with a montage of changes in the uneven bars in gymnastics over the years. i found it while looking for videos of soviet gymnast larissa latynina, the first and (so far) only woman to ever win 9 gold medals, and is also, i think, the most decorated olympian of all time with 18 medals total. as i was watching videos of her i noticed first how her body was so much more "womanly" than those of gymnasts today. i used that term within quotations because i am well-aware that women's bodies come in all shapes and sizes, but the difference in their appearance is striking. sure, she is still thin, but she isn't as small or muscular as they seem to be today. it seems like back then it was a little more about grace and style. it is the natural evolution of a sport, of course, and it is wonderful to see the female gymnasts of today exhibiting such strength, it just makes me uneasy that they look, and are, so very very young.
you will also note the use of tori amos' "little earthquakes". how emo!
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