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American figure skater Alysa Liu has taken the sports world by storm in recent days after becoming the first Olympian representing the United States of America to win a gold medal in women’s free skating since 2002. She also has a wholly unique look and a personality to match it, which was one full display during her gold medal winning performance set to “MacArthur Park” by Donna Summer.
With Alysa Liu going massively viral in recent days thanks to her show-stopping performance in the women’s free skate competition on Wednesday, which earned her a gold medal in the event — marking the first time an American has medaled in women’s free skate since 2006.
The 20-year-old Liu also boasts a very distinct look, as she has a lip/teeth/mouth piercing — which she pierced on her own — that she calls her “Smiley.” The technical term for the placement of the piecing is the “frenulum,” which Liu says is such a thin piece of skin that it did not hurt at all, calling it a “zero out of ten” pain.
Alysa Liu explains her ‘Smiley’ lip-piercing that she did to herself and says did not hurt at all because it’s pierced at the frenulum
“I pierced it a little over two years ago,” Liu explained prior to the Olympics in Milan. “It’s pierced at the frenulum so it goes through there and you can see it when I smile. It was zero out of ten pain. You can’t feel it because the skin there is so thin, so you don’t feet that at all. Also, I did it myself, so I had my sister hold up my lip and I was looking in there mirror, and I had my piercing needle, and then I just put it through.”
Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu shared the story behind the jewelry you can see when she smiles. pic.twitter.com/F5SMaX6ql2
— Sierra (@Sierra_rak) February 20, 2026
Alysa Liu has added a stripe of bleach to her hair every winter since 2023 and will do so again this December
As for her hairstyle, the gold medalist says she adds a new ring of dye every winter, having first begun in 2023.
Someone asked me about Alysa Liu’s hair and I didn’t know but found the information. 🥰 pic.twitter.com/bIJOXNt7uV
— LaWanda (@lawanda50) February 19, 2026
Not only did Liu — who became the youngest woman to land a triple axel in international competition at just 13 years old — win the gold medal in the single’s Free Skate but she also helped propel Team USA to a gold medal in the team event alongside fellow skaters Ilia Malinin, Amber Glenn, Ellie Kam, Daniel O’Shea, Madison Chock, and Evans Bates.