Body Image Issues Present in Dancers
By Mariah Rollwagen Many art forms include some sort of medium; sculptures could use clay, musicians use instruments, and dancers use their own bodies or the bodies of others. This puts an extra pressure on dancers to maintain an aesthetically pleasing bodily form. This impact has started to create body image issues among dancers starting younger and younger. The emphasis on extreme thinness in dancers started as early as the 1950’s when famous ballet choreographer, George Balanchine , emphasized the need for ballerinas to have the perfect body and perpetuated many dancers to develop eating disorders. The dance world has worked hard to perpetuate the idea that health and well being is more important than an ideal body type, but there is still a long way to go. Many auditions will cut dancers for their looks, whether it be hair color, size, height, and many other reasons beyond talent. Photo By Crystal Rollwagen My personal story involves many struggles with body imag...