What Feeds Unhealthy Body Image? | Healthy Body Image Series Part 2 of 5

In part one of this five-part interview series on body image, we asked Ballet 5:8 founding company member and former Lead Artist Lauren Ader-Cumpston why body image is so hard in the ballet world.

So, for part two of the series, we asked Ms. Lauren a follow-up question about possible perpetrators of the issue.

School of Ballet 5:8: What feeds the unhealthy body image prevalent in the ballet world?

Lauren: I think that there are more factors contributing to a negative body image in dancers than we can really discuss in a single blog post! However, something that happens in many professional and educational settings is a constant comparison of dancers physiques and bodies.

This happens between dancers, but unfortunately often comes from instructors and directors as well. It is natural for children in particular to compare themselves to one another. It is a part of their normal development. However, certain body types determined as "ideal" by external influences inform that natural comparison and influence how they perceive their own bodies. External influences also include media and social media. In dance, and specifically in ballet, there is certainly a body type that is featured and idealized in media and social media, and if we are not careful, this can become the body that we personally strive for in terms of an ideal look or appearance.

In ballet, we dance in front of a mirror with the constant confrontation of how our body looks. People in other careers do not experience looking at themselves all day long! Having that constant feedback about how you look puts our appearance in the forefront of our minds, and when we compare ourselves to other dancers or to the "ideal" body type we have in mind, it can make us feel as if our body doesn't measure up.

Additionally, many dancers and dance teachers already hold a negative body image - this comes out in how dancers talk about themselves and about other people. The way that we talk and feel about ourselves can have a huge impact on how others, especially younger children, begin to think and feel about themselves according to our words, actions, and choices. I think that the dance community as a whole struggles with this, and if we do not address it for ourselves, we can create an endless cycle of perpetuating a negative body image to the community around us.

Stay tuned next week for the next question addressed in this series!