Rough Draft

A common misconception about competitive dance is that it is all sparkly costumes and spray tans. A majority of the community, and especially the dance community I was a part of for many years, puts on a show to hide what is happening backstage; helicopter moms, ruthless instructors and constant ridicule. The constant fat shaming, yelling, and strict dieting is often too much for dancers, pushing them to crippling eating disorders. As a competitive dancer, I have seen this occur numerous times, even to some of my closest friends. I have chosen this community because I believe this is a topic that is often hidden in the world of competitive dance. This leads to an important question - what are the factors that influence dancers to develop eating disorders? This question is often pushed aside within the community to make the community that cares so much about reputation to be picture perfect. People have begun to discuss this topic outside the community, as it is becoming more and more apparent that the pressure and ridicule that is hidden from the public has taken serious tolls on so many young women. I interviewed Emily Marshall, a competitive dancer who has overcome multiple eating disorders from dance, to investigate the reasons why dancers develop eating disorders.

In a world where the norm is skipping meals to look fit on stage and having mental breakdowns before a performance because the pressure is too much to handle, mental illnesses are so easily adaptable. Eating disorders are not only brushed aside because of how common they are, but are often even joked about within the community. A study published by the International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism assessed dancers based on the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 complex, and “main findings of this study were that more than two thirds of dancers were identified as at risk for disordered eating behavior” (348). The study makes it clear that there is a strong desire to be thin and a big expectation for low body weight is low, stating that “dancers had a significantly lower desired body weight than controls” (344). The desire to be thin is apparent throughout many studies, but the exact factors that lead to these eating disorders are still being studied and debated.

One factor that has been shown to contribute to these eating disorders are the concept of perfectionism. Perfectionism is a common trait among dancers, since the sport is so precise. A study done by a Spanish sports psychology magazine called Revista de Psicología del Deporte highlights the theme of perfectionism within dancers with eating disorders, and found there was a positive correlation between perfectionism and concern over mistakes with eating disorders. It is also stated that dancers have a "three times higher risk of suffering from eating disorders" than others not in dance (301). The study relates perfectionism with concern over mistakes, personal standards, cognitive anxiety, body dissatisfaction, depression, and diet. The presicion that goes along with dance can only be accomplished by those who will not accept anything short of perfection, making these dancers easier targets for disorders.

Another factor that takes a toll on dancer’s mental health is the amount of pressure put on dancers, especially competitive dancers, from dance teachers, dance moms, and other competitors. A survey done by Antoinette van Staden with the Journal of Dance Medicine & Science shows testimonies of dancers in professional ballet companies. Dancers discuss the pressure of dance, and the viciousness of their competitors. “As you rise through the ranks less and less people become a support system” They state, “People will put you down. There was a certain jealousy coming out” (23). Strong support systems are a very crucial part of mental illnesses, and those who are at higher risks for adapting these illnesses. In a cut-throat environment such as dance, it is easy to feel alone, and with the added pressures from teachers and other dancers to be the best, eating disorders can be so easily adapted.

Emily Marshall, a competitive dancer from Orlando at NRG Dance Studios, discusses the difficulties of having an eating disorder in the dance community. Emily loved competition dance when she first started in the seventh grade, but soon realized how mentally damaging dance can be.“I think it was about two years into dancing that I really saw the mental effects of competitive dance”, she states, “I was the team captain, I placed first in every competition, I was given every solo, I was really at my peak. Everyone looked up to me, I had little girls coming up to me in the studio telling me they wanted to be just like me when they grew up. That’s a lot of pressure for a fifteen year old.” Emily soon began having to watch what she ate very closely, and being told when she looked bloated. She explains how dance is mentally taxing, as pressure to look a certain way builds. She explains that “unlike other sports where you are judged on your skill I think to a great degree when it comes to dance you’re judged a lot on your appearance as well, and so while you’re trying to maintain the physical and skillfulness of the sport you’re trying to maintain a certain image.” On top of this pressure to maintain an image, Emily was also being talked down to by her teachers, and constantly compared herself to other dancers, as the tight leotards and huge mirrors makes it very easy.

Emily also states how she believes perfectionism is a big factor of falling down the spiral of eating disorders. She discusses the dance community, stating that “the whole dance world just promotes your perfectionism, which promotes your eating disorder.” With dance being such a precise sport, ballerinas tend to be very knit picky and obsessive over small details, which are personality traits found in many people with eating disorders. “I also think that because it has become so normal, the fact that dance causes eating disorders, it is easy for people to fall into that trap”, she explains, “a lot of people try to fit into this ‘dancer’ mold, thinking if they’re stick thin they might get more jobs. Unfortunately, in this industry that’s kind of true.”