Reading Tiffany Chin: The Birth of the Oriental Female Skater on White Ice

Abstract

Tiffany Chin’s emergence in figure skating, and the ways in which she was depicted by the media, can be understood as the birth of the oriental female skater on White ice. Figure skating has historically been viewed as a White sport, so Chin’s success in that space created an opportunity for future Asian American skaters. To that end, the media’s coverage of Chin offers insight into how the ‘differences’ of Asian American female skaters were initially registered, constructed, and communicated in a racialized and gendered way. This claim is supported through an understanding of how the background and history of American women’s figure skating, the sport’s traditional alignment with Whiteness, and a critical reading the media narratives surrounding Chin, combine to represent an American view that framed this Chin’s successes as the birth of the oriental female skater.