Léotard and the Leotard
the dazzling origins of an activewear staple
This week’s drop-in: The leotard
Today’s topic was inspired by a literal drop-in class!
I recently took my first flying trapeze class at the Las Vegas Circus Center, because when I travel to Vegas for work I need just one hour to relax, unwind, and jump off a platform 20 feet high with circus professionals.
What does this have to do with the leotard? Well, a fellow named Jules Léotard developed the art of trapeze performance. And…his last name may be a giveaway here…he also developed the leotard!
What to know about the leotard: Jules Léotard is the same guy as the guy in the “flying through the air with the greatest of ease” song.
The official song title was “The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze,” which pretty much sums him up.
The son of a gymnastics instructor, Léotard benefitted from having a swimming pool to practice his acrobatics over. He was all set to be a lawyer, then went and joined the circus.
He performed the first-ever flying trapeze act in 1859, and according to the morning newspaper, the crowd was amazed.
Léotard needed a costume that would allow him to perform his act, while showing off his physique (totally understandable, once you’ve seen trapeze artists up close. They look like marble statues, all muscles and no softness). So he came up with a skintight one-piece that left holes for his arms and legs.
Interestingly, Léotard himself never called it a leotard. He called it a maillot, a French word for sports garments. It was named after him years later.
He performed without a safety net, but somehow it was smallpox that got him in the end at the age of 32. His inventions lived on, both with flying trapeze and the leotard.
By the 1970s and 80s, disco and aerobics made the leotard popular for everyday street wear and exercise. From what I can tell, leotards seemed to disappear from everyday wear for a while in the 90s and 2000s (I’ll never forget the dark days of “leggings aren’t pants”). I still lived in leotards, spending most of my time in ballet and gymnastics.
These days, leotards are back and more popular than ever, both as fashion and in athletics. You see them as “bodysuits” at the trendy places like Aritzia and SHEIN, but also as workout wear in Athleta. Dance-inspired fitness is back, with barre class and Peloton dance cardio workouts.
And finally, circus-inspired fitness has arrived. Over a century after Jules Léotard first stunned the crowd, everyday people can experience the euphoria of flying through the air (maybe not with the greatest of ease. It’s terrifying). I tried aerial to begin with because I saw it on my ClassPass app — as accessible as any yoga class.
Leotards are in style, AND we can wear them while flying around like the leotard’s creator. What a time to be alive.
Go to the source:
Jules Leotard (Circus and Sideshows)
The First Flying Trapeze (History Today)
Hop take: Beverage of the week
Funslinger Lager, Breckenridge Brewery
Breckenridge makes some solid beers. The Funslinger is a new-ish lager, similar to the relaunched version of New Belgium’s Fat Tire. Very light and sessionable. Also, Funslinger sounds like a good description for someone who has fun slinging themselves through the air.
In other news
“Microdosing movement.” I read this Vox article about how important it is to incorporate movement in small ways throughout your day — not just during a one-hour workout block. Time to shell out for a standing desk!
Words of wisdom
Here’s a quote from the Sex and the City episode in which Carrie attempts flying trapeze.
“When you’re young, your whole life is about the pursuit of fun. Then, you grow up and learn to be cautious. You could break a bone or a heart. You look before you leap and sometimes you don’t leap at all because there’s not always someone there to catch you. And in life, there’s no safety net. When did it stop being fun and start being scary?”
– Carrie Bradshaw
Moral of the story: Instead of letting fear slow you down, don’t forget how to be a Funslinger!
Thanks for dropping in. See you in the next one!
Cheers,
Alex