Editing Unitard

{{Short description|One-piece garment covering the torso, arms, and legs}}
[[File:Dancer wearing Intermezzo and pointe shoes.jpg|alt=|thumb|310x310px|A dancer wearing a unitard, a [[Shrug (clothing)|shrug]] and [[pointe shoes]].]]

A '''unitard''' is a skintight, one-piece garment with long legs and sometimes long sleeves, usually stopping at the wrists and ankles.<ref name="danceparent">{{cite web |last1=Bellerose |first1=Samantha |title=Leotard vs. Unitard: What's The Difference & Why Do Dancers Need Both? |url=https://danceparent101.com/leotard-vs-unitard-whats-the-difference-why-do-dancers-need-both/ |website=danceparent101.com |access-date=24 November 2020 |date=24 August 2019}}</ref> It differs from a [[leotard]] which does not have long legs.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Votaw |first1=Ann |title=3 Things Most Millennials Will Never Know About the Leotard |url=https://observer.com/2017/08/3-things-most-millennials-will-never-know-about-the-leotard/ |website=Observer |access-date=24 November 2020 |date=24 August 2017}}</ref> The leotard is also usually considered a more feminine clothing item, while the unitard is not.<ref name="danceparent"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lennon |first1=Jake |title=Unitards vs. Leotards: The key differences + full guide. |url=https://newtypeofclass.com/unitards-vs-leotards-the-key-differences-full-guide/ |website=Newtypeofclass.com |date=12 July 2022 |publisher=NTOC |access-date=31 July 2022}}</ref> The garment can be thought of as a combination of a leotard and [[leggings]], and was historically called a "one-piece long legged leotard".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Strassel |first1=Annemarie |title=Designing Women: Feminist Methodologies in American Fashion |journal=Women's Studies Quarterly |date=2012 |volume=41 |issue=1/2 |pages=52–53 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23611770 |issn=0732-1562 |jstor=23611770}}</ref> The term ''unitard'' is mostly used in relation to sports, while it is usually referred to as a ''[[catsuit]]'' in other contexts.

==Usage in sports==
[[File:2018 EC Diāna Ņikitina 2018-01-18 14-52-37 (2).jpg|thumb|Figure skater [[Diāna Ņikitina]] wearing a sleeveless unitard.]]

Unitards are worn by [[acrobatics|acrobats]], [[gymnasts]], [[dancers]], [[Equestrian vaulting|equestrian vaulters]], [[athletes]], [[circus]] performers, as well as others who require overall body coverage without impeding flexibility. It is closely related to the [[wrestling singlet]], which is basically a unitard with shorter legs.

In 1985, [[Anne White]]'s decision to wear a white unitard for the first two sets of a match in the [[1985 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles|Women's Singles Championship at Wimbledon]] was widely reported.<ref>{{cite web | last = Elliott | first = Josh | title = Anne White With an unintentional fashion statement, she left her mark on tennis | work = SI Vault | publisher = Time Inc. | date = 2000-07-31| url = http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1019841/index.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080509011744/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1019841/index.htm| url-status = dead| archive-date = May 9, 2008| access-date =2008-04-24 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = White in White |work = The End of the Century | publisher = ESPN | date = 2000-12-23| url =https://www.espn.com/endofcentury/gallery/panel24.html| access-date =2012-06-27}}</ref> Unitards remain an unusual sight in some sports such as tennis, although [[Serena Williams]] wore one during a 2013 Wimbledon practice,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chase |first1=Chris |title=Serena Williams practiced at Wimbledon in a multicolored unitard |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/06/serena-williams-unitard-wimbledon |access-date=24 November 2020 |work=USA Today |date=18 June 2013}}</ref> and during the [[2018 French Open]] (after which the garment type was banned there).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nittle |first1=Nadra |title=The Serena Williams catsuit ban shows that tennis can't get past its elitist roots |url=https://www.vox.com/2018/8/28/17791518/serena-williams-catsuit-ban-french-open-tennis-racist-sexist-country-club-sport |access-date=24 November 2020 |work=Vox |date=28 August 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref group=note>It is called a "catsuit" in the article, but should more appropriately have been called a "unitard".</ref>

In the 1990s, 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 [[adjudicator|judges]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Fetters |first=Ashley |title=Why Don't More Female Figure Skaters Wear Pants? |magazine=The Atlantic |date=17 February 2018 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/02/why-dont-more-female-figure-skaters-wear-pants/552416/ |access-date=24 November 2020}}</ref>

The [[NC State Wolfpack men's basketball|North Carolina State college men's basketball team]] wore a unitard designed by [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] shortly in 1989 under coach [[Jim Valvano]] "to address the issue of jerseys coming untucked", but they were retired after only two games.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lukas |first1=Paul |title=Uni Watch's Friday Flashback: When NC State wore infamous unitards |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/uni-watchs-friday-flashback-nc-state-wore-infamous/story?id=37928325 |access-date=24 November 2020 |work=ABC News |date=25 March 2016 |language=en}}</ref>

Colourful unitards are the trademark of fitness coach [[Derrick Evans (fitness instructor)|Mr Motivator]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fox-Leonard |first1=Boudicca |title=Mr Motivator: 'I'm back! But what's happened to the world of fitness since I left?' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/mr-motivator-back-happened-world-fitness-since-left/ |access-date=24 November 2020 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |url-access=subscription |date=11 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Myers |first1=Hayley |title=Mr Motivator: 'The unitard was my idea' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jan/11/fitness-trainer-mr-motivator-the-unitard-was-my-idea |access-date=24 November 2020 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=11 January 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

==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.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Chabon |first1=Michael |title=Secret Skin |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/03/10/secret-skin |access-date=24 November 2020 |magazine=The New Yorker |date=3 March 2008}}</ref>
The members of the rock band [[Queen (band)|Queen]] were known for wearing unitards during their concerts in the late 1970s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Freddie Mercury's clothes - The style icon |url=https://www.mothermercury.be/en/freddie-mercurys-clothes/ |website=Mother Mercury |access-date=24 November 2020 |date=31 December 2019}}</ref> Some of the uniforms worn by female characters in the ''[[Star Trek]]'' franchise have been called unitards, and criticized for promoting sexiness.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kuku |first1=Diepiriye |title=Starfleet Unitards for Women |url=https://www.popmatters.com/125834-starfleet-unitards-for-women-2496192170.html |website=PopMatters |access-date=21 November 2023 |language=en |date=21 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828055315/https://www.popmatters.com/125834-starfleet-unitards-for-women-2496192170.html |archive-date=28 August 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Bodystocking]]
* [[Bodysuit]] 
* [[Jumpsuit]]
* [[Romper suit]]
* [[Swimsuit]]
* ''[[Yoga the Iyengar Way]]''
* [[Zentai]]

== Explanatory notes==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category inline|Unitards}}

{{Ballet}}

[[Category:Clubwear]]
[[Category:Dancewear]]
[[Category:One-piece suits]]