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• Dancers face issues around body image more than we think

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Every time I go to a family affair, I can count on being asked about three things: my schoolwork, my boyfriend and my weight. I’m a dancer though, so I’m basically openly inviting others to criticize my physical appearance to my face.

To anyone that agrees with the last statement I made, please get a reality check. In a society where eating disorders and fad diets run rampant, sensitivity to body image is necessary in all social situations.

Dancers are particularly susceptible to weight criticism within their profession due to a combination of factors; many dancers maintain a low weight to facilitate ease in partnering and lifts, while others do so to fit into body hugging costumes or to elongate the lines of the body. In some companies and conservatories, those that focus on ballet in particular, it is not uncommon for dancer teachers to suggest weight loss to a student, regardless of an often already waif-like state. These occupational hazards couple with long hours spent in front of a mirror in rehearsal, making it nearly impossible for dancers to avoid the topic of physical appearance as it influences their careers. Consequently, the percentage of dancers with distorted eating patterns and disrupted body image has the potential to be very high.

Due to an increased reliance on efficient body functioning, disordered eating can have especially dire effects on athletes. Poor training outcomes include inability for muscles to recover, inability to rehydrate post-exercise and an overall stagnant performance. Muscles suffer from early fatigue, and the reduction in muscle mass negatively effects muscle strength, muscle endurance, speed and coordination. Low blood sugar can cause an athlete to have difficulty concentrating and making judgments in addition to causing feelings of light-headedness, hunger and tiredness; risk for injury or illness and recovery time from said ailments increases as the body’s nutrients get increasingly depleted.

In women in particular, the risk of Amenorrhea, a cease in proper function of normal hormonal cycles, greatly increases. The loss of one’s period, as well as bone loss and damage to the cardiovascular and reproductive systems are common symptoms of the condition. Similarly, osteoporosis is also catalyzed by disordered eating, resulting n increased risk of stress fracture and scoliosis. The 2000 PBS documentary Dying to be Thin, cast insight into the consequences of disordered eating in the dance world and otherwise. The excerpt entitled, “The Ballet World,” follows a former Joffrey Ballet dancer, Erika Goodman, who at age 54 walks with the assistance of a walker at all times. Goodman’s lifelong battle with anorexia left her with severe osteoporosis and stripped her of nearly all of her flexibility. To view clips of the documentary, visit the link at the bottom of the page.

A dancer’s use of his or her body as a vessel for artistic expression and communication leads many viewers to critique both physical appearance and performance. For the many risk factors discussed above and out of general tact and respect for the performer, it is recommended that people, dance critics especially, avoid the topic of weight when discussing a performance.

In my own experience, it is not the performances that make me a target for bodily criticism, rather it is any time that my extended family sees me eat. First and foremost, allow me to clarify that I eat pretty consistently throughout the day and that I would be crazy to scrimp on the delicious food that my family makes. That being said, every time I sit down to eat with a healthy portion of food, I am subject to comments such as, “I’m glad you’re finally eating,” and “Oh my God, you’re eating dessert!?” from family members as young as 13 years old. When seeing a member of my extended family for the first time in a year or so, I was not greeted by “Hi, Alyssa! How have you been? How is school going?” Rather, I walked into the room to receive the question, “Where’s the fat girl?” in a joking tone. It blows my mind to think that anyone, despite a joking nature in his or her voice, would be able to rationalize such a greeting as acceptable. The same family member poked me in the side two weeks ago on the dance floor at my cousin’s bar mitzvah and suggested that I should stop eating so much.

I consider myself to be rather confident when it comes to my body image, but I am absolutely sick and tired of defending my physical state just because I am a dancer. No one in my family would even think to say such hurtful things to any of my other cousins, male and female alike. I long for the day when I can have an unrelated conversation about my life that is not punctuated by the question, “So do you just work out all the time or what?” Be it out of jealousy or intended compliment, joking about body image is in poor taste. Maybe one day my family will get a clue and will show some interest in what really matters, my happiness.