The Many Uses of Unitards

You may think unitards have only one use but ifthats the case you are sorely mistaken. Unitards have been used for manypurposes all the way from pop stars to making movie magic.

Traditionally, gymnasts,acrobats, circus performers and dancers wear the unitard. The unitard coversall of a person's body, but does not restrict movement in anyway. Lycra isblended with either cotton or polyester to create a stretchable fabric. It is aone-piece garment that is basically a combination between a leotard and tights.Now we know what unitards are, lets take a look at some famous pop cultureicons that have worn them.

The Rock Star Unitard

The 1980's saw an influxof hair-sprayed rock stars scissor kicking their way across the stage wearingthese outfits. Freddy Mercury was the first of a new breed of rock star tosport the garment. He paved the way for other flamboyant musicians to expressthemselves on stage. Every pop siren knows the effect a stylish unitard canhave on their fan base. Popular pop stars of today have shot promotional musicvideos wearing them as well. From the iconic Britney Spears videos to the newsingles being released by Lady Gaga.

The Cinematic Unitard

The garment can be usedfor more than fashion or performance. The unitard has been used to make motioncapture possible. These sensors would be picked up by a special camera and thenpainstakingly digitally transformed into an animated character. The characterGollum in the Lord of The Rings films made possible by a unitard. The actorplaying the part wore the tight fitting garment that had motion detectorsattached to it. The same process was used in the hit movie, Avatar.

The Super Hero Unitard

The man responsible forsuperheroes dressing like this was Lee Falk, who created "ThePhantom". This superhero first appeared in a newspaper cartoon in 1936 andin its prime was read by over a million readers ever day.

The superhero is alwaysseen fighting crime whilst wearing a unitard. Spiderman, Superman, Batman: theyhave all sported the tight fitting outfit. Falk got his inspiration for thesuperhero unitard from the images of Robin Hood and thus, the superhero outfitwas born. If you watch the re-runs of the 60's Batman episodes, you will noticethat both hero and villain are wearing the tight-fitting costume.

Whether you are acontortionist, a theater performer or a professional dancer, the chances arethat you have worn one and taken advantage of the unrestricted freedom ofmovement it gives you. As you can see, this garment has cemented its place intopopular culture.