Body Image in the Dance Industry
Imagine working years towards a career that you are so passionate about, only to be told that you will never succeed and reach your goals simply because you do not “fit” your dream.
This is the life of a plus sized dancer.
The prejudicial assumption of physical capabilities of a bigger-bodied individual is a consistent issue among the dance community. The dance industry should put an end to perpetuating the concept of anti-fatness on dancers because it creates unhealthy body images and a misconception of beauty, which projects a traditionally unrealistic expectation of the ideal physique of a dancer. By allowing themselves to engage in the body positive movement on social media, the dance community can utilize the content made by plus sized dancers and other bigger-bodied artists in support of body positivity and body acceptance. In turn, these unrepresented artists can have representation through social networks, gaining the respect they deserve and compelling dancers and industry professionals to invite and celebrate all body types.
The dance industry projects unhealthy body images onto dancers which makes changing this perspective a crucial step in working towards body acceptance. Although these exclusive standards are still an ongoing expectation of the dance industry, we have been exposed to a more diverse representation of body types due to the body positive movement on social media. In 2019, Nike shared a campaign which celebrated plus sized athletes by expanding their representation of mannequins in stores to include plus sized mannequins. The release featured plus sized dancer Chloe Elliot, photographed training with a professional ballerina which to no surprise “horrified” some viewers;
“it horrifies people that someone of my size, […] could engage with their sport.”
Although the campaign was triggering for some viewers, it was a triumphant accomplishment for the plus sized dance community. This evidence illustrates the point that social media is an excellent outlet in abolishing the stigma behind unhealthy body images by publishing more body positive content with the intention to change perspectives and encourage body acceptance. A related example is from my own personal experience of being a dancer with an untraditionally ideal body type for a dancer. Often times these dancers are underestimated simply due to an assumption made based on their physical appearance, as if a larger person is uncapable of performing in any athletic activity if not for embarrassing entertainment purposes. People make judgments that dancers in bigger bodies are lazy or don’t work hard enough, are disgusting and should be excluded from physical activities because they are not “made” for it.
To expand on this issue, vocabulary can play another role within this topic because of the way plus sized individuals are unfairly addressed. We’ve come to know the word “fat” as a negative term used to hurt and stab at oneself or another’s physical appearance, however, as humans we all have fat tissue within our bodies. This also makes a significant connection to the concept of fatphobia; the fear of fatness, becoming overweight or fear of being discriminated against due to obesity. This impacts the dance community because the desire to achieve thinness and the ideal dancer body makes dancers a group who are at higher risk of eating disorders, discovered through a study conducted featuring research by Ferrand, Champely, & Filaire.
Jackie Wykes and Cat Pausé’s article encompasses an impactful and political outlook on how the dance industry participates in anti-fatness. The lurking fear of fatness is consistently present within society and an acclaimed Australian dance theatre company, Force Majeure, offers a unique steppingstone towards a solution on how the dance industry can encourage inclusivity and diversity. ‘Nothing to Lose’, is a piece which features dancers who identify as fat or bigger-bodied individuals. Relating to instances from my personal experience I’ve often felt unwelcome or uncomfortable in dance studios where classes are filled with bodies who fit into the mold of an ideal standard of a ballerina and body types like mine are left unrepresented.
To expand on this example, Megan Bowen is a body positive advocate through her dance and lifestyle posts on social media. Her body type is what some would describe as mid-size because she is not extremely thin like a traditional dancer and yet she is not plus size either, inbetween the two. She utilizes Instagram to share professional and nonprofessionally taken content, videos of her dancing as well as photographs in dance poses to encourage and inspire other dancers to follow their dreams, and she reminds them to live life in their own way despite challenges they may face.
“It really doesn’t matter just get up and dance, if you love it, you love it, show up and do it, […] our bodies are going to change all the time, mine does, but our passion for what we do doesn’t”
Some may argue that there are reasons why expectations of a dancer’s physique were instilled, for example, so that dancers could be lifted with ease, be aesthetically pleasing to the audience, and to display grace and elegance. However, in connection with ‘Nothing to Lose’, dancers are encouraged to move freely throughout the piece while performing a “sculptural quality of the larger physical form” rather than traditionally constructed movement for stereotypical dancer bodies.
My conclusion is that by utilizing social media, the dance industry and its community can escape their traditional body image in order to adapt to the new generation of creative and expressive artists who present in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
The misconception of beauty the dance industry perpetuates onto the dancers is undeniable, and yet there is a growing community of individuals working towards changing this narrative. Colleen Werner is another great example of a body positive advocate as she participates in the dance community as a plus size dancer and yoga teacher who is passionate about body liberation. Like Megan Bowen, she too posts a variety of body positive content on Instagram to inspire dancers like herself who are often excluded and unrepresented in the dance industry. Colleen supports that the use of vocabulary in speech of body acceptance is very important when referring to a plus size dancer;
“I’m all for the reclamation of the word ‘fat’ when it has a positive or neutral connotation, […] In communities where others have also reclaimed the word, I tend to use it freely.”
There is no doubt that stereotypical characteristics are readily available to witness in everyday media. In relation to offensive and controversial vocabulary that create a misconception of beauty, a new Netflix original show called Tiny Pretty Things portray a school of highly trained dancers who are encouraged to maintain a slender build while attending a ballet school and are applauded when achieved and even more so when a student becomes even more “tiny”. To expand on this, the title itself is controversial, implying that people or objects that are considered “tiny” are much prettier and hold more value than those people or objects who are not. This show is an excellent example of the intense requirements and expectations set on dancers which becomes an eye opener for viewers of how unrealistic and unattainable achieving perfection really is. Some may argue that these dancers featured in the Netflix show Tiny Pretty Things because they are professionally trained which explains the reason for their physique, however, Colleen is a prime example of a professional dancer who does not identify as “tiny”.
It is evident that the correlation between a dancer’s obsession with physical appearance and perception of beauty is an ongoing issue. This allows one to determine their value as a person based on these factors. Amidst a study conducted surveying a group of dancers, “female dancers had the highest percentage of body image dissatisfaction even though they are within the ideal body mass index which can be linked to other health issues. This study reveals the toxicity of the dance industry and how it projects a misconception of beauty onto its dancers. This is a good example that displays;
“unfavourable body image perceptions may lead to eating disorders if it is not prevented, treated or intervened”
To expand on this concept, society has come to the conclusion that the word “fat” is a negative term that everyone should avoid at all costs, however, as humans we all have fat on our bodies whether we would like to or not. Although each body is different, most people on average aim to achieve the appropriate or healthy weight ratio to their height which is their ideal BMI according to health professionals. Some may argue that females and female identifying dancers are only affected by the misconception of beauty and body images in the dance industry, however, males and male identifying dancers are still affected by the pressures of an ideal dancer’s physique although there may not be as many cases. As the up-and-coming generation of dancers and artists it is crucial that we utilize networks like social media and television shows to educate dancers and industry professionals what the normalized body image and beauty standards have perpetuated onto the community.
The prejudicial assumption of physical capabilities of a bigger-bodied individual is a consistent issue among the dance community.
It is our job to move forward celebrating dancers who present in all different shapes, sizes and colours to promote body acceptance and body positivity.
The dance industry should put an end to perpetuating the concept of anti-fatness on dancers because it creates unhealthy body images and a misconception of beauty, which projects a traditionally unrealistic expectation of the ideal physique of a dancer. By allowing themselves to engage in the body positive movement on social media, the dance community can utilize the content made by plus sized dancers and other bigger-bodied artists in support of body positivity and body acceptance. In turn, these unrepresented artists can have representation through social networks, gaining the respect they deserve and compelling dancers and industry professionals to invite and celebrate all body types.
