Unitard

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One-piece garment covering the torso, arms, and legs

title: "Unitard" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["clubwear", "dancewear", "one-piece-suits"] description: "One-piece garment covering the torso, arms, and legs" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitard" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary One-piece garment covering the torso, arms, and legs ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Dancer_wearing_Intermezzo_and_pointe_shoes.jpg" caption="shrug]] and [[pointe shoes]]." alt=""] ::

A unitard is a skintight, one-piece garment with long legs and sometimes long sleeves, usually stopping at the wrists and ankles. It differs from a leotard which does not have long legs. The garment can be thought of as a combination of a leotard and leggings, and was historically called a "one-piece long legged leotard". 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

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/2018_EC_Diāna_Ņikitina_2018-01-18_14-52-37_(2).jpg" caption="Figure skater [[Diāna Ņikitina]] wearing a sleeveless unitard."] ::

Unitards are worn by acrobats, gymnasts, dancers, 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 Women's Singles Championship at Wimbledon was widely reported. Unitards remain an unusual sight in some sports such as tennis, although Serena Williams wore one during a 2013 Wimbledon practice, and during the 2018 French Open (after which the garment type was banned there).It is called a "catsuit" in the article, but should more appropriately have been called a "unitard".

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 judges.

The North Carolina State college men's basketball team wore a unitard designed by Nike shortly in 1989 under coach Jim Valvano "to address the issue of jerseys coming untucked", but they were retired after only two games.

Colourful unitards are the trademark of fitness coach Mr Motivator.

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. The members of the rock band Queen were known for wearing unitards during their concerts in the late 1970s. Some of the uniforms worn by female characters in the Star Trek franchise have been called unitards, and criticized for promoting sexiness.

Explanatory notes

References

(24 August 2019). "Leotard vs. Unitard: What's The Difference & Why Do Dancers Need Both?".
(24 August 2017). "3 Things Most Millennials Will Never Know About the Leotard".
(2012). "Designing Women: Feminist Methodologies in American Fashion". Women's Studies Quarterly.
Elliott, Josh. (2000-07-31). "Anne White With an unintentional fashion statement, she left her mark on tennis". Time Inc..
(2000-12-23). "White in White". ESPN.
(18 June 2013). "Serena Williams practiced at Wimbledon in a multicolored unitard". USA Today.
(28 August 2018). "The Serena Williams catsuit ban shows that tennis can't get past its elitist roots". Vox.
Fetters, Ashley. (17 February 2018). "Why Don't More Female Figure Skaters Wear Pants?".
(25 March 2016). "Uni Watch's Friday Flashback: When NC State wore infamous unitards". ABC News.
(11 March 2019). "Mr Motivator: 'I'm back! But what's happened to the world of fitness since I left?'". [[The Daily Telegraph.
(11 January 2020). "Mr Motivator: 'The unitard was my idea'". [[The Guardian]].
(3 March 2008). "Secret Skin".
(31 December 2019). "Freddie Mercury's clothes - The style icon".
(21 May 2010). "Starfleet Unitards for Women".

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