Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up, and Figuring It Out

Outofshapeworthlessloser: A Memoir of Figure Skating, F*cking Up, and Figuring It Out

  • Downloads:5326
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2024-02-08 03:21:45
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Gracie Gold
  • ISBN:B0C4J8MLF6
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

In this explosive tell-all memoir, an Olympic medalist offers an unprecedented look inside the pressure-packed world of figure skating and reveals her battle to survive mental illness, eating disorders, and crippling perfectionism。

When Gracie Gold stepped onto center stage (or ice, rather) as America’s sweetheart at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, she instantly became the face of America’s most beloved winter sport。 Beautiful, blonde, Midwestern, and media-trained, she was suddenly being written up everywhere from The New Yorker to Teen Vogue to People and baking cookies with Taylor Swift。 

But little did the public know what Gracie was facing when the cameras were off。 In 2017, she entered treatment for what was publicly announced as eating disorder and anxiety treatment, but what was, in reality, suicidal ideation。 While Gracie’s public star was rising, her private life was falling Cracks within her family were widening, her bulimia was getting worse, and she became a survivor of sexual assault。 The pressure of training for years with demanding coaches and growing up in a household that accepted nothing less than gold had finally taken its toll。 As Gracie entered treatment, she was asked to cite only her eating disorder and anxiety in the suicidal ideation wasn’t “palatable。”

In Outofshapeworthlessloser , Gracie shares the less “palatable” parts of her life, revealing exclusive, and harrowing, details about her the battles with her family, her coaches, the powers-that-be at her federation, and the voice in her head that she calls "outofshapeworthlessloser。" Gracie’s memoir is not only a forceful reckoning from a world-class athlete, but also an intimate account of surviving as a young woman in a society that rewards appearances more than anything and demands perfection at all costs。

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Reviews

K。D。

Not gonna lie, the John Coughlin stuff was tough to read。 I appreciate her nuance when she says that many things can be true at once, but, yeah, that was a lot。 Otherwise such a gripping and fantastic read。

Alexandra Mercurio

I really loved this

Felicia

#goodreadsgiveaway

Liralen

First there was Grace Elizabeth—happy on skates, but without skating being her whole life。 Then there was Gracie Gold—gold in name and on the ice。 And then, perhaps inevitably in the pressure cooker that is a competitive, heavily image-focused sport, there was Outofshapeworthlessloser。Gold is not here to pull punches—while her primary focus is on skating, and her skating career, she also delves deep into what was going on both in skating culture and within her personal life that impacted that ca First there was Grace Elizabeth—happy on skates, but without skating being her whole life。 Then there was Gracie Gold—gold in name and on the ice。 And then, perhaps inevitably in the pressure cooker that is a competitive, heavily image-focused sport, there was Outofshapeworthlessloser。Gold is not here to pull punches—while her primary focus is on skating, and her skating career, she also delves deep into what was going on both in skating culture and within her personal life that impacted that career, for better and often for worse。 I don't follow skating, but it sounds like a roller coaster of an experience, both on and off the ice。Mostly chronological, the book loses some focus near the end as Gold shifts to occasional non-linear chapters。 In particular, I wished that the chapters about her current relationship and about her changing chest size had been folded into the rest of the book rather than standing largely alone—the latter in particular makes sense in the context of the book, as skating is ones of those sports where a shifting body can require a lot of adjustments, but setting it as a separate chapter dilutes the impact (we don't see it affecting Gold throughout) and adds to the occasional sense that this is her chance for a manifesto。 (Or。。。a chance to get things off her chest?)Gold is perhaps at her most interesting when considering how different coaching styles impacted her training—in particular, the focus on (to paraphrase) the way young skaters are often asked to give 110% until they burn out, and her wondering whether there could be a different, more sustainable model that would allow skaters longer, healthier careers。 I don't have the background for an informed opinion on what sort of success is possible with a comeback after the rise and (partial) fall of a skating career, but she raises interesting questions about when, and under what circumstances, it is time to call it quits—and when it is worth carrying on。Skating is still very much Gold's world, in various ways, but I'll be curious to see whether her eventual next steps are in line with that or whether she'll shift directions。Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley。 。。。more