An Unfortunate Calendar

If this is the way Russian gymnastics is going to look this year, I am not okay.

I was looking for pictures for my next post and unfortunately stumbled right into the calendar pics from the Russian Gymnastics Federation. They've released most of the pictures ages ago, but seeing them all together just reminded me of how much a I hate them. The only gymnast looking even half decent is Aliya Mustafina, and that's just because she's the Queen and it's nearly impossible to make her look ugly. They still managed to make her look like Mary Poppins ready to take off without an umbrella and I don't know why. Thank God for that gorgeous face though.

Then they have Daria Spiridonova, another absolutely stunning gymnast, who based on her VK page seems to love modeling more than she does gymnastics and they actually made her look like an active retirement home resident on her way to bingo night. How?

Angelina Melnikova looks like a cast member from Real Housewives of Siberia (obviously not glamorous enough for Moscow) and Maria Paseka is her pre-schooler daughter ready for some playground gymnastics à la Tim Daggett.

Anastasia Ilyankova and Elena Eremina just look... Off. They look 10 years older than they are and nothing like themselves.

Viktoria Komova (who is not retired or injured and actually competed last year, unlike Aliya) didn't make the calendar and she's much better off for it. Maria Kharenkova was apparently ignored as usual and Seda Tutkhalyan is still in the limbo.

This really makes me miss the days when Zarariel used to publish her homemade calendars of My Tsaritsa Aliya and they were gorgeous. Ugh.

Anyway... Was I too harsh? Do you guys actually like the calendar?

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P.S. I absolutely love Mary Poppins, but there's no need to combine Mary Poppins and Aliya despite the latter's newly founded personal Round Lake daycare program.