Boutfits for Everyone!

When I hear the word "uniform" I immediately become incredibly bored. Thoughts of lycra, mesh, sweaty, smelly garments pop into my head and I immediately want to think of something else.  This is not the case with derby.  The uniforms are fun and sexy!  Why?  Because derby ladies are fun and sexy, and we're anything but boring!  We're fun, loud, aggressive, exciting ladies and we want our clothing to reflect that about us.  We play a tough, grueling sport, but we want to enjoy what we do by feeling free to express our individuality.

Now, the most crucial part of the derby outfit is the tights.  Don't ask me why, I don't know.  The rule of thumb it: the louder the tights the better.  Whoever has the best tights wins a secret competition between all of us ladies, and we're always excited to show each other our awesome finds.  From fishnets to solid patterns, our tights probably reflect who we are more than anything else we wear.  When I'm feeling sassy I tend to wear lace and fishnets, but when I'm feeling fun I like to wear more patterns.  Next time you see a bout, pay attention to the tights being worn, and you'll learn a lot about the derby girl you thought you knew.

A lot of people like watching the sport of roller derby, and although the athleticism makes it appealing, I know quite a few people that come to see the booty's.  Ladies in booty shorts as far as the eye can see!  What's not to like about that?  It's a major plus to our sport, and it just so happens that booty shorts are incredibly comfortable to play in.  Now, booty shorts are not for the timid- it requires a certain amount of bravery to wear them in front of your family, co-workers, and friends.  But hey, if we weren't bold we wouldn't play roller derby.

Socks.  Socks.  Socks.  I love socks.  Socks can be individualized as tights, and there are some great ones out there.  My derby sister, Mome Rath, for Christmas received over 20 pairs of brand spankin' new socks from her boyfriend.  I cannot describe my jealousy.  I seriously almost murdered her for them, but instead I just decided that I have to go shopping instead...

The Skirt.  Although not as common as the booty short, the skirt is a great option for turning up the sass.  Tutus are the staple; super loud and crazy fun to play in!  My personal favorite is the catholic school girl skirt; both feminine and wicked hot, it's easy to skate in and bound to make my man drool a little bit.

The one piece of our uniform that people tend to overlook is our helmets.  Highly decorated and adorned, this piece of safety equipment takes on a whole new purpose.  They protect our heads from crazy falls, but it gives us another opportunity to use stickers, paint, and cover things in glitter!  Using your helmet as flare is a time-honored tradition, one which should not be taken lightly.  If there's a skill a derby girl really needs to know, it's how to apply glitter.

Well now that you have the fashion breakdown of the derby boutfit, you need to know that it's not the reason why we play derby.  We play derby because we're athletes, we believe in sisterhood, and we enjoy being challenged.  This is what roller derby is really about; not fishnets and booty shorts, but empowering ourselves to become something better.