Followup video: your arms are actually important!
I posted yesterday and got some great feedback. Tried implementing it today and holy shit y’all were SO right about arms being important! It seemed unnecessary at this level to bother with arm styling but having them straight out made a huge difference in my posture, balance, and even the overall look - I’m well aware it’s far from perfect but everything looks so much cleaner now. It felt much easier to maintain a good upright posture through my upper body and neck, and my arms functioned far more effectively as a counterbalance because they were so far from my center of gravity! I never realized this but it makes so much sense!
I’m posting again already because I wanted to have the comparison available to any other beginner skaters scouring the subreddit for tips - don’t be afraid to T-pose on the ice! It helps way more than you would think!