Question:

What is the most effective way to prevent body image issues and eating disorders in the
dance community?

Senior Project Advisor:

Libby Cowles

Gretta Stahl

12th Grade Humanities

Abstract

Many ballerinas and dancers struggle with body image issues, body dysmorphia,
and other eating disorders. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses.
Dance studios and competitions don’t work hard enough to prevent these issues. Eating disorders
can cause physical body changes including heart issues, which can be fatal. Dancers do not
deserve to go through this alone. I studied the prevalence of eating disorders, the tests used, and
how studios are preventing eating disorders. Eating disorders in dancers need more awareness. I
found that some studios make an effort to prevent these issues, but not all do. I used journals and
articles to find this. I found out about many tests used and how many dancers have developed
eating disorders. The research I found shows that dancers need a safe space to talk about these
issues and dance studios should be watching the comments that they make around dancers.

Introduction
 A ​New York Times​ article called ‘“Eating Disorders Haunt Ballerinas” “The average

incidence of eating disorders in the white middle-class population is 1 in 100. In classical ballet,

it is 1 in 5.” Why are eating disorders so much more prevalent in dancers? Is it the way the

leotard hugs curves? How the smallest dancers are typically showcased? Or instructor critiques

that focus more on the body and less on the technique? In general, eating disorders are a taboo

subject. We don’t bring them up unless someone we know is suffering and we need to stage an

intervention.

Ballet can be brutal when it comes to body image. The tight uniform of a leotard and

tights can make you stare at yourself even more. When a room has an entire wall of mirrors, it’s

hard not to stare at your curves, thighs, stomach. When choreographing, teachers will often put a

lift in the dance. How do they decide who gets lifted? The smallest and thinnest of course. It’s all

about making it easier for the dancers that are lifting. And what about a part that a child could

do? They make the smallest dancer perform this choreography. This can be damaging to the

other dancers as well as the performer. Though intentions may be good, it makes dancers feel

like they’re turning on each other.

When you look up the term ‘ballerina’, the images that come up are all thin girls. The

media portrays ballerinas as tiny, stick sized girls. Even in jazz, hip hop and contemporary.

Dancing means being thin. At dance competitions, you see many tiny dancers who spend their

entire life training for competitions and to them, it’s not just a hobby. It’s their whole life.

In France, models that are underweight will not be permitted to work. They must provide

a doctor’s note that gives BMI information so that the model may work while not providing

unrealistic body expectations. The penalty for those who violate this law is six months in prison

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and/or €75,000. This can also be helpful for dancers. If competitions and companies banned

underweight dancers, instructors may pay more attention to the dancer’s body and their own

comments make sure their dancers are legally allowed to participate.

Sending out student feedback surveys about teaching styles can help the instructors steer

away from critiquing the dancer’s body, and towards critiquing technique, which can be easily

corrected, and dancers need to have a safe space to talk about these issues in the dance studios.

Historical Context and Background

In the article “Let’s Get Real About the History of Eating Disorders”, it is said that in the

12th and 13th centuries, fasting was used as a religious practice. Yielding to food was a sin. To

show their devotion to God, women would fast for weeks or months at a time. In 1689, a doctor

called fasting and other anorexia symptoms “wasting disease”. The term “anorexia” was first

used in the 1800’s by Sir William Gull. He also adds that there was a difference between

devotion to God and anorexia.

The treatment for eating disorders was discovered in the 1900’s: a parentectomy, where

patients would be separated from their parents. Doctors thought that parent’s expectations could

cause eating disorders. Around this time, eating disorders were treated as an endocrine disorder.

Bulimic behaviors started to come up in 1903. Psychologists took over managing eating

disorders.

In 1959, Binge Eating Disorder was linked to “night eating”. Bulimic behaviors rose in

the United States, France, Germany and England. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that influential

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celebrities started sharing their eating disorder story. This was also when Karen Carpenter died

of heart failure, which was likely related to anorexia. In 2013, binge eating disorder or BED was

recognized as its own disorder. Binge eating disorder is where the person eats uncontrollably or

until they’re uncomfortably full. Binge eating disorder can cause the stomach to rupture due to

excessive eating. BED needs more awareness especially in the dance community.

In many ways, eating disorders are a taboo subject. There is a fear that talking about an

eating disorder will give you one, when it isn’t like that. Eating disorders are not contagious.

Research and Analysis

Anorexia and Bulimia are commonly diagnosed using the ​EAT-26, BITE, and SCOFF

tests.

The EAT-26 test is a 31 question screening used to diagnose eating disorders. Questions

1-26 ask about impulses, diets, and some behaviors and are scored by never=0 rarely=0

sometimes=0 often=1 usually=2 always=3. Questions 27-30 ask about behaviors in the past six

months. If the sum of questions 1-26 are greater than 20, that patient should be further evaluated.

The BITE test or Bulimic Investigatory Test Edinburgh is a self rating scale for bulimic

patients. All 33 questions are one point each. Like the EAT-26 test, if a patient scores higher than

20, they should be further evaluated.

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 The SCOFF test stands for ​S​ick, ​C​ontrol, ​O​ne stone (14 pounds), ​F​at, ​F​ood. It is a

questionnaire based on five questions with different scores. A score less than five indicates

bulimic behavior is present. A score greater than ten indicates more severity.

In a 1993 interview, Caroline Adams Miller, author of ​My Name is Caroline s​ tates ​“Some

college sororities are notorious for bulimia and anorexia. I’ve heard that some houses have

plumbing problems because of all the vomiting going on.” Miller mentioned. This is a common

occurance on college campuses across the United States. Dr. Ariane Machin reports in the article

Eating Disorder & College Students: The Numbers​ that 25.5% of female college athletes will

exhibit eating disorder behaviors, while 2% have a diagnosis.

Dancers get measured for costumes each year. While it is necessary to make sure

costumes fit, studios don’t need to take measurements in front of the whole class. In an interview

with Samantha Purdy, a dance instructor at Bella Dance Company, she observes dancers who

constantly look in the mirror and those who avoid it all together. Even as young as three years

old, the mirrors are constantly something to admire yourself in. “I developed an eating disorder

in college and told my teacher that I would need nutritional therapy and wouldn’t look as tiny in

class. She told me that I wasn’t the first in my class to admit this. 85% of the class had already

discussed their eating disorders with her.”

In an interview with a dancer who asked to remain anonymous, she agrees that dance can

trigger body image issues. When asked if dance has made her more self conscious, she explains

“I started dancing at a really young age, and I didn’t think about what I looked like when I was

three years old. But staring at myself in the mirror that long and comparing myself to others-- not

just with my body but the way that I do things compared to other people-- I do think dance has

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highlighted that for me.” She acknowledges that while dance didn’t trigger body image issues, it

didn’t help either. This isn’t uncommon in the dance community. In the NY Times article ​The

Eating Disorder Trap: ​How Dancers' Perfectionism Can Make Things Dangerously Worse,

Dawn Smith-Theodore remembers the development of her eating disorder. “When I was 15 and

my body started developing, I thought losing a few pounds would help me jump higher and look

better in my leotard. Yet the less I ate, the louder my inner drill sergeant barked negative

criticism. (​"Did you see how you fell out of that turn? What's wrong with you? The girl next to

you has a much better body."​) Soon, the drive to be perfect took over my thoughts.”​ “There have

been multiple incidents between the two studios I have danced for. Sometimes when measuring

dancers for costumes, they will have another student writing down each measurement. Someone

who gets to know everyone’s measurements.” The anonymous dancer remarked.

In the BBC article ​Ballet and eating disorders: 'Unspoken competitiveness' adds pressure

to be thin​, dancer Victoria Ferguson, who developed bulimia at age 15, recalls the “unspoken

competitiveness between dancers,” She talks about how looking at yourself and your peers in the

mirror in leotards and tights for hours at a time can be damaging. “Making yourself sick is not

normal. I knew it was not right but I felt in control. It affected my mind and social relationships

because I was being so secretive…” Victoria admitted.

The popular television series, ​Dance Academy​, ​brings attention to both anorexia and

bulimia when two characters develop the disorders. While bringing awareness is very helpful,

the disorders in the show last for a few episodes, which can be unrealistic.

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 In the book​ The Dancer's Complete Guide To Health Care And A Long Career​, Allan

James Ryan and Robert E. Stephens mention: "leanness is not only an artistic standard in many

professional dance companies: it is an occupational absolute" (p. 18)

In the blog ​Dance Teacher​, Andrea Marks interviews head faculty of Manhattan Youth

Ballet Deborah Wingert, who informs dance teachers on how she helps to prevent eating

disorders in the dance studio. Wingert talks about using the right language, demonstrating

healthy eating habits, using your body to help with technique, talking privately about dancers

bodies, and asking about the last time they ate.

In the studio, Wingert uses positive language when talking about a dancer's body. ​ ​“The

words we use are the words students are going to hear," She comments, mentioning that teachers

can ensure dancer’s repeatedly hear positive language. When talking about technique, Wingert

says she tries to use dancer’s bodies to have technique, she strives to teach about “How to work

within your own parameters to make a leg look more turned out,"

Emily Harrison, a registered dietician and teacher at Atlanta Ballet talks about meals in

the studio. “...she always brings snacks for herself, like an apple or carrot sticks. Then, during a

break, she'll eat it in front of the students. She'll sometimes eat her lunch in the hallway around

them, too, just to show that eating is part of her schedule.” Harrison believes that steering

dancers toward regular meals is also key to preventing eating disorders. “Harrison suggests you

pause and ask dancers, ‘Have you eaten in the last three hours?’ If they haven't, tell them to grab

a bite—like a handful of almonds or a granola bar.” Keeping an open door helps as well. At

Manhattan Youth Ballet, dancers are welcome to stop by the office to discuss any concern with

themselves or a classmate.

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 Dancers are stereotyped to be thin, flexible, and delicate. When Lizzy Howell posted a

ten second video on Instagram of her performing fouetté turns, she didn’t expect the video to go

viral. “​I guess it’s because I don’t have the typical dancer body?” She told the​ HuffPost​ in an

interview in April of 2017. Lizzy was breaking dancer’s body stereotypes. “In Lizzy’s case, the

message that people took from it was a body-positive, feminist one: Women can be or do

anything, regardless of their weight. They don’t have to be thin to dance,” Melissa Jeltsen wrote

in the ​HuffPost​ article, “This Teen Dancer Went Viral For Her Body Image. Now Comes The

Aftermath.”

There are many arts that project thinness on the competitors. In the movie ​The Neon

Demon​, a movie about what models will do to climb to the top, they idolize natural beauty over

artificial beauty, but still describe beauty as skin-deep. “Beauty isn’t everything, it’s the only

thing.” A character says, idolizing the only naturally beautiful model, denying that it’s what’s on

the inside that counts.

Dancers need to know that beauty is not skin deep, and that there is always someone to

talk to and ways to prevent these issues in the dance community.

Conclusion and Discussion

Dancers develop eating disorders due to multiple factors including comments from

instructors, looking in the mirror for hours, and comparison to other dancers. There are some

studios that provide student feedback surveys about instructors, asking questions about how the

instructor made them feel about various activities.

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 There is a certain fear of eating disorders, especially in the dance world, because it's so

common. No one mentions if they’re at risk for fear of judgement from peers. Parents don’t want

their children to know about eating disorders because they think that if the children hear or see

something, they’ll develop an eating disorder.

In a study conducted by Mary Yannakoulia, Antonios Keramopoulos, Nikolaos

Tsakalakos, and Antonia-Leda Matalas called “Body Composition in Dancers: the bioelectrical

impedance method”, they found the average body measurements in dancers. The average

dancer’s weight is fifty-five pounds less than the average female weight. Dancer’s waists are on

average thirty-two inches smaller than the average woman.

A way to break the stigma of eating disorders in dancers is to educate parents, teachers,

and dancers on how to ask for help and talk to dancers about their fears around food and body

image. Dance instructors can be educated on how to compliment or critique dancers’ technique

without mentioning things that the dancer is unable to change when corrected, such as waist,

body fat, height, or weight. Many dancers suffer eating disorders in silence, scared to break the

stigma or ask for help. Breaking the stigma includes bringing awareness to the topic, and sending

out surveys about teaching habits in skills in dance studios and competitions. Dancers need to

know that they’re not alone in having these thoughts and issues and that there are resources to

help.

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of Eating Disorders | Eating Recovery Center,​ 24 Feb. 2018,

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history-of-eating-disorders​.

Gardner, David M, et al. “The Eating Attitudes Test: Psychometric Features and

Clinical Correlates.” ​Eat-26.Com,​ 1982, ​www.eat-26.com/Docs/Garner-EAT-26-1982.pdf​.

Henderson, M., and C. P. L. Freeman. “A Self-Rating Scale for Bulimia the ‘BITE.’”

British Journal of Psychiatry​, vol. 150, no. 1, 1987, pp. 18–24., doi:10.1192/bjp.150.1.18.

Morgan, J F, et al. “The SCOFF Questionnaire: Assessment of a New Screening Tool for

Eating Disorders.” ​Ps://Www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov,​ 1999, ​www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10582927​.

James, Deanna. “History of Bulimia: Greek Vomitoriums to Sorority Bathrooms.” ​Eating

Disorder Hope​, 28 Apr. 2015,

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www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/bulimia/history-of-bulimia-greek-vomitoriums-to-sor

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Purdy, Samantha. Personal Interview. 8 January 2020.

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 Wingert, Deborah, et al. “Stop Eating Disorders Before They Start.” ​Dance-Teacher.com,​

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