Hypothesis: In 2017, America's scrappy sweetheart-turned-villain Tonya Harding is a symbol people increasingly identify with. In a world where everyone is trying to project perfection all the time, she is another option. She is, in a way, the anti-hero we need right now.

The latest evidence? "Tonya Harding," song released Tuesday by Sufjan Stevens.

This comes even as biopic about Oregon's fallen skating hero, "I, Tonya," is set for a limited release on Dec. 8. According to Pitchfork, the song by Stevens is not related to the movie.

"Tonya Harding" is a haunting song that explores Harding's story, her improbable rise to fame and skill as a figure skater and her dramatic nose-dive from grace.

"Just some Portland white trash," sings Stevens mournfully, "You confronted your sorrow like there was no tomorrow/While the rest of the world only laughed."

This isn't Stevens first time exploring beauty and sadness in Oregon. His 2015 album "Carrie & Lowell" floated around the state, traveling from the Tillamook Forest to Eugene. As a child, Stevens sometimes spent summers in Oregon visiting his mentally ill mother, and "Carrie & Lowell" is deeply rooted in those experiences.

His mixtape, "The Greatest Gift," released last month, is also of previously unheard songs with Oregon themes like "Wallowa Lake Monster," "City of Roses" and "Exploding Whale."

"I've been trying to write a Tonya Harding song since I first saw her skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1991," Stevens wrote in an essay that accompanies the song, which he released two different keys, and is available digitally and on cassette and vinyl.

"Tonya shines bright in the pantheon of American history simply because she never stopped trying her hardest," Stevens said. "She fought classism, sexism, physical abuse and public rebuke to become an incomparable American legend."

You can listen to the song while watching Harding skate here:

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker