Alysa Liu Explains the Meaning Behind Her Viral Smiley Piercing
If anyone has a lot to smile about, it’s Alysa Liu. Of all the highlights from the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, her stunning comeback performance has been a clear standout. Liu retired from figure skating in 2022 after the Beijing Olympics but announced her return to the sport in March 2024.
Earlier this week, Liu came in first in women’s free skate, earning the U.S. its first gold in the category in 24 years. She flashed a smile that has everyone wondering: What is that sparkling at her gumline?
At first glance, it might appear to be tooth gems or perhaps front-teeth-only braces. But in reality, it’s something much cooler: Liu is wearing a lip frenulum piercing, which fits the rest of her Gen Z aesthetic, including her brown-and-blond halo stripes.
For the uninitiated, the piercing hangs from the frenulum, a tiny piece of tissue that connects the gums to the upper lip and appears when you smile. “I pierced it a little over two years ago now,” she confessed in a recent interview with TMJ4. And she did it herself—well, sort of.
“I had my sister hold up my lip, and I was looking in the mirror, and I had my piercing needle, and then, yeah, I just put it through,” Liu explained. The piercing is an extension of her alternative aesthetic.
Another element of the look is, of course, her hair. In the same interview, she explained that the inspiration for her striped halo hair came from trees. “You know how trees have rings for their age? I thought every year, I’m gonna add a new halo around my hair,” she says. And now, she has a gold medal to match.
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