Eating Disorders Among Dancers
My legs are stumpy.
My arms are too flabby.
My stomach looks like it ate itself.
These are very common remarks that you would hear in a change room inside a dance studio around in Toronto. I would know, because I remember being in the change room listening to these comments, and even chiming in.
Eating disorders and dance have a strong correlation. In Coach up’s article, they state, “On average, the incidence of eating disorders in the white middle-class population is one in a hundred. In ballet, this number is one in five” (Coach up, 2015). As you can imagine, eating disorders have become a huge problem in the dance industry today.
Dancers - especially ballerinas - strive for perfection. This includes perfection among their technique, form, and unfortunately, their bodies. They feel the pressure to be thin. Why is this the case? Sandish Shocker from BBC news states, "Every day you are looking at your friends in tights and leotards which isn't normal, and the whole purpose of dance is to be self-critical and constantly pushing yourself, and you strive to be better. It was all self-imposed." (Shocker, 2013) This statement is very true. There is ALWAYS going to be someone who is more talented, smarter, or healthier. This is how life works. You are never going to be what society deems as “perfect”. In a dancer’s world you are constantly surrounded by magazines, social media, all with photos of photo shopped girls and women with ballet slippers on.
Have any of you ever struggled with an eating disorder?
Resources:
https://www.coachup.com/resources/dance/eating-disorders-among-ballet-dancer
Great blog! As an ex-dancer and a current PT in the Fitness industry I have seen first hand plenty of eating disorders...as a teenager I remember a fellow dancer would pass out regularly because she hadn't eaten in days...we were constantly scrutinising every inch of our bodies in front of full length mirrors and would verbalise how we hated individual parts. I am still in the habit of picking apart my flaws in the mirror and I know it all stems from my ballet days. These days I choose a pretty healthy diet and plenty of exercise but must admit my sweet tooth occasionally gets the better of me ;)
Side note, I'm loving reading your posts! Hope you're still on track for your bikini comp!
Not directly related but I used to overeat a lot for reasons I still don't really know, then I started to go a ridiculous soup diet for 4 months due to which I lost about 18kgs. Unfortunately all that came back to haunt me the very next year and right now I'm trying to get back to my optimum BMI by sticking to palio diet. It's been a very difficult ride.
I can 100% relate to you. After I stopped dancing, I went away to university and gained 20+ lbs. I dropped out of school, went back home, and was diagnosed with manic depression. I am currently on Abilify and Cipralex to help with psychosis and depression. These medications generally don't cause weight gain, which is what I was afraid of. After feeling a bit better with my mood, I joined a gym and took a free fitness assessment with a personal trainer; long story short, we fell in love. BUT that was probably the biggest step for me - realizing I needed to get help. So I got support from my family, psychiatrist, and lover/personal trainer. Now that I think back, I would've bought a years worth of personal training from him. Instead I received training for free....muaahhahahha. The point I want to make is that it takes hard work and time. I set mini goals for myself, to try to make my lifestyle healthier. For example, I am a few weeks into prepping for a bikini competition. That scares me - a panel of judges judging me based on my body ....what. Stepping out of my comfort zone has really helped me; whether that means asking for help, or trying something new! But, I wish you all the best of luck with your paleo diet. I would definitely recommend adding some running or weight lifting to your diet - if you haven't already!!
Great post, quick and easy to read and I learned about lives of people I have zero chance of interacting with. I also don't have personal experience with eating disorders.. just my two daughters who are VERY picky eaters. The eldest has to smell her food for a few seconds and has to know what's in it before she eats it. Sorry went off topic there...
Wow very interesting. I dating a woman a few years ago who was a bellerina and she was in the midst of recovering from eating disorders and body dis-morphia. It is something very real and needs to be looked at. Thank you for the post. We need conscious material like this out there.
Looking forward to seeing more of your material in my feed!