Alyssa Liu’s DIY ‘Smiley’ Piercing and the Terms of a Return: How a Tiny Hook Became Part of an Olympic Comeback
Team USA figure skater alyssa liu has made the tiny flash in her smile a talking point at the 2026 Winter Olympics: the silver seen when she beams is a frenulum, or “smiley, ” piercing she pierced herself, a small but deliberate element of a larger personal comeback story that has already included a team gold and a strong individual showing.
Alyssa Liu's 'smiley' piercing: the DIY detail
The silver accent in her grin is not a gem or braces but a labial frenulum piercing that sits in the tissue connecting the upper gum to the lip and hangs over the two front teeth. Liu has had the jewelry for a little over two years and describes it as a self-made accessory: she used a mirror and a piercing needle while her sister held her lip, deliberately avoiding unsafe improvised methods. She has treated piercing as a hobby she learned on her own, citing concerns about the cost of professional shops and an emphasis on correct placement for the jewelry.
The pierced piece has become part of Liu’s public image on the ice. The piercing’s visible placement—an unobtrusive curved hook with decorative tips—registers when she smiles after performances and on podiums, making an understated statement about autonomy and personal style.
Style, rules and a comeback built around choice
Liu returned to the sport after an earlier retirement with clear personal conditions for how she would proceed: she would wear what she wants, dance to the music she chooses, eat what she wants and take breaks when she wants. That framework has been positioned as central to this second phase of her career, shaping both how she presents herself and the creative decisions around her programs.
Her hairstyling has complemented the piercing as a visual timeline: Liu added the first platinum stripe to her dark brown hair in 2023 and has added another ring each year to mark personal and professional growth, describing the pattern as an annual ritual. That same impulse toward self-authorship informs why she learned to pierce herself and why small, visible choices matter as part of the narrative she brings onto the ice.
Where the Olympic run stands and what comes next
Liu is 20 years old and has already contributed to a team gold at these Games. After finishing third in the women's short program, she sits in third place heading into the Women's Free Skate on Thursday, where she will have another opportunity to move onto the podium in the individual event. Her recent return to competition followed an Olympic debut at age 16, a subsequent retirement, a comeback announced in 2024 and a world championship victory in 2025.
The relationship with her longtime choreographer has been highlighted as part of how Liu projects her individuality: her choreographer responded positively to her visible choices, and that creative partnership is framed as enabling the personal expression she insisted upon when returning to the sport. Those elements—personal styling, self-directed body modification, and negotiated terms for her career—have combined to present a skater who is competing on technical and aesthetic terms she helped define.
Details about final outcomes will evolve as the competition continues, but for now the piercing and the principles behind it are inseparable from the larger storyline of Liu’s comeback and Olympic run.
