# Unitard > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Unitard > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Unitard.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitard > Source revision: 1320524719 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) One-piece garment covering the torso, arms, and legs A dancer wearing a unitard, a [shrug](/source/Shrug_(clothing)) and [pointe shoes](/source/Pointe_shoes). A **unitard** is a skintight, one-piece garment with long legs and sometimes long sleeves, usually stopping at the wrists and ankles.[1] It differs from a [leotard](/source/Leotard) which does not have long legs.[2] The garment can be thought of as a combination of a leotard and [leggings](/source/Leggings), and was historically called a "one-piece long legged leotard".[3] The term *unitard* is mostly used in relation to sports, while it is usually referred to as a *[catsuit](/source/Catsuit)* in other contexts. ## Usage in sports Figure skater [Diāna Ņikitina](/source/Di%C4%81na_%C5%85ikitina) wearing a sleeveless unitard. Unitards are worn by [acrobats](/source/Acrobatics), [gymnasts](/source/Gymnasts), [dancers](/source/Dancers), [equestrian vaulters](/source/Equestrian_vaulting), [athletes](/source/Athletes), [circus](/source/Circus) performers, as well as others who require overall body coverage without impeding flexibility. It is closely related to the [wrestling singlet](/source/Wrestling_singlet), which is basically a unitard with shorter legs. In 1985, [Anne White](/source/Anne_White)'s decision to wear a white unitard for the first two sets of a match in the [Women's Singles Championship at Wimbledon](/source/1985_Wimbledon_Championships_%E2%80%93_Women's_Singles) was widely reported.[4][5] Unitards remain an unusual sight in some sports such as tennis, although [Serena Williams](/source/Serena_Williams) wore one during a 2013 Wimbledon practice,[6] and during the [2018 French Open](/source/2018_French_Open) (after which the garment type was banned there).[7][note 1] In the 1990s, wearing unitards in [figure skating](/source/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 [judges](/source/Adjudicator).[8] The [North Carolina State college men's basketball team](/source/NC_State_Wolfpack_men's_basketball) wore a unitard designed by [Nike](/source/Nike%2C_Inc.) shortly in 1989 under coach [Jim Valvano](/source/Jim_Valvano) "to address the issue of jerseys coming untucked", but they were retired after only two games.[9] Colourful unitards are the trademark of fitness coach [Mr Motivator](/source/Derrick_Evans_(fitness_instructor)).[10][11] ## Usage elsewhere [Superheroes](/source/Superheroes) in comics, ads, TV shows and films are frequently depicted wearing costumes that resemble unitards, although they are rarely called that explicitly.[12] The members of the rock band [Queen](/source/Queen_(band)) were known for wearing unitards during their concerts in the late 1970s.[13] Some of the uniforms worn by female characters in the *[Star Trek](/source/Star_Trek)* franchise have been called unitards, and criticized for promoting sexiness.[14] ## See also - [Bodystocking](/source/Bodystocking) - [Bodysuit](/source/Bodysuit) - [Jumpsuit](/source/Jumpsuit) - [Romper suit](/source/Romper_suit) - [Swimsuit](/source/Swimsuit) - *[Yoga the Iyengar Way](/source/Yoga_the_Iyengar_Way)* - [Zentai](/source/Zentai) ## Explanatory notes 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** It is called a "catsuit" in the article, but should more appropriately have been called a "unitard". ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-danceparent_1-0)** Bellerose, Samantha (24 August 2019). ["Leotard vs. Unitard: What's The Difference & Why Do Dancers Need Both?"](https://danceparent101.com/leotard-vs-unitard-whats-the-difference-why-do-dancers-need-both/). *danceparent101.com*. Retrieved 24 November 2020. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Votaw, Ann (24 August 2017). ["3 Things Most Millennials Will Never Know About the Leotard"](https://observer.com/2017/08/3-things-most-millennials-will-never-know-about-the-leotard/). *Observer*. Retrieved 24 November 2020. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Strassel, Annemarie (2012). ["Designing Women: Feminist Methodologies in American Fashion"](https://www.jstor.org/stable/23611770). *Women's Studies Quarterly*. **41** (1/2): 52–53. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0732-1562](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0732-1562). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [23611770](https://www.jstor.org/stable/23611770). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Elliott, Josh (2000-07-31). ["Anne White With an unintentional fashion statement, she left her mark on tennis"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080509011744/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1019841/index.htm). *SI Vault*. Time Inc. Archived from [the original](http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1019841/index.htm) on May 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-24. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["White in White"](https://www.espn.com/endofcentury/gallery/panel24.html). *The End of the Century*. ESPN. 2000-12-23. Retrieved 2012-06-27. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Chase, Chris (18 June 2013). ["Serena Williams practiced at Wimbledon in a multicolored unitard"](https://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/06/serena-williams-unitard-wimbledon). *USA Today*. Retrieved 24 November 2020. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Nittle, Nadra (28 August 2018). ["The Serena Williams catsuit ban shows that tennis can't get past its elitist roots"](https://www.vox.com/2018/8/28/17791518/serena-williams-catsuit-ban-french-open-tennis-racist-sexist-country-club-sport). *Vox*. Retrieved 24 November 2020. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Fetters, Ashley (17 February 2018). ["Why Don't More Female Figure Skaters Wear Pants?"](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/02/why-dont-more-female-figure-skaters-wear-pants/552416/). *The Atlantic*. Retrieved 24 November 2020. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Lukas, Paul (25 March 2016). ["Uni Watch's Friday Flashback: When NC State wore infamous unitards"](https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/uni-watchs-friday-flashback-nc-state-wore-infamous/story?id=37928325). *ABC News*. Retrieved 24 November 2020. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Fox-Leonard, Boudicca (11 March 2019). ["Mr Motivator: 'I'm back! But what's happened to the world of fitness since I left?'"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/mr-motivator-back-happened-world-fitness-since-left/). *[The Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph)*. Retrieved 24 November 2020. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Myers, Hayley (11 January 2020). ["Mr Motivator: 'The unitard was my idea'"](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jan/11/fitness-trainer-mr-motivator-the-unitard-was-my-idea). *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*. Retrieved 24 November 2020. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Chabon, Michael (3 March 2008). ["Secret Skin"](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/03/10/secret-skin). *The New Yorker*. Retrieved 24 November 2020. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Freddie Mercury's clothes - The style icon"](https://www.mothermercury.be/en/freddie-mercurys-clothes/). *Mother Mercury*. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2020. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Kuku, Diepiriye (21 May 2010). ["Starfleet Unitards for Women"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200828055315/https://www.popmatters.com/125834-starfleet-unitards-for-women-2496192170.html). *PopMatters*. Archived from [the original](https://www.popmatters.com/125834-starfleet-unitards-for-women-2496192170.html) on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2023. ## External links - Media related to [Unitards](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Unitards) at Wikimedia Commons v t e Ballet General information Company Glossary History Music Timeline Terminology Aplomb Arabesque Ballon Barre Battement Divertissement Entrée de ballet Grand pas Pas de deux Pas de quatre Pas de trois Pièce d'occasion Pointe Turnout Variation Ballet by genre Ballet d'action Ballet blanc Ballets de cour Chamber ballet Classical Comédie-ballet Contemporary Comic ballet Grotesque dance Narrative ballet Neoclassical Opéra-ballet Romantic ballet Ballet by region Azerbaijani British French Italian Russian Technique Methods Balanchine Bournonville Cecchetti RAD Vaganova Pointe technique Positions (arms) Positions (feet) Occupations and ranks Ballet dancer Character dancers Corps de ballet Demi-soloist Soloist Principal dancer (Danseur Étoile, Danseur noble) Prima ballerina assoluta Ballet master (Répétiteur) Ballet apparel Ballet shoe Dance belt Leg warmer Leotard Pointe shoe Tights Tutu Unitard Awards Prix Benois de la Danse Prix de Lausanne‎ Telstra Ballet Dancer Awards Organisations Ballet Society Publications Ballet Review Dance and Dancers Dance International Pointe Related articles Ballet (documentary film) Ballet and fashion Choreography Royal Academy of Dance Western stereotype of the male ballet dancer Lists Ballets Characters Companies Dancers Schools --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Unitard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitard) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitard?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.