Does  my bum look big in this?..................................                                                                                                   developing lines of inquiry 

“Does my bum look big in this?” was a catchphrase from TV comedy show, ‘The Fast
Show’, with Arabella Weir as ‘Insecure Woman’. She also wrote a book with the same title which is a comic look at how little things can make a woman insecure and paranoid. Her character is a bit too paranoid to be believable on occasions and you do sometimes get annoyed with her habit for dissecting every nuance of a conversation and thinking that everyone thinks the worst of her but I think a lot of us who have felt insecurities with their own body image can relate to it and to the obsessive behaviour.

And does anyone else remember the scene in Bridget Jones where she raids the fridge and eats a whole jar of Branston pickle?! I can so relate to that, scouring the fridge and cupboards desperate for some comfort food to eat! I once ate a whole jar of chocolate dipping sauce in desperation!   

So why are dancers so obsessed with their weight and body image?

It seems my SIG post with regard to body image has caused a lot of discussion around eating disorders in dancers. In the previously mentioned article in The Mail by Arlene Phillips she says that “Dancers have to watch what they eat, but anorexia and bulimia are something else. Nowadays it is so well recognised and ballerinas in dance schools are safer now than ever with people watching out for their welfare.” However just because you don’t have either of these extremes does not mean the problem doesn’t persist , there are obviously still lots of ‘eating disorders’  at lots of dance colleges and among most of us dancers.

Most of us have diet horror stories concerning either ourselves or fellow dancers and considering the pressure put on dancers to be ‘thin’ there’s no wonder we become obsessive ‘thinaholics’.   

Natalie’s posting  saying she was put on an official ‘Fat List’ at college is definitely the most horrific and I’m sure is not ‘ethical’ and breaks all equality and discrimination rules. How does that affect your moral, your confidence and self esteem? Perhaps Natalie will expand and tell us how that made her feel.  Rest assured if there had been such a list at my college my name would have been on it!!

The fact is most dancers have normal or below normal body weights but they still do not meet the aesthetic standards demanded in the industry. Most of us must strive to reach that ‘perfect’; ‘ultra’ look which for most is unattainable and is extremely demanding both physically and mentally.

 Balanchine’s wispy thin look for ballerinas is still the norm in many companies and whilst the demand for thinness in show dancers and modern dancers may not be as severe, weight standards are still pretty low as opposed to what would be considered ‘normal’. Dancers are not average.

 Balanchine's vision, combined with Cechetti-based technique, gave way to the skinny and ethereal dancer. Ballet companies like their corps de ballet to look the same - which is why most of the girls are the same height and approximate weight within a company, also we mustn’t forget that the guys have to lift the girls.  

Ellie said she was sorry college pushed me to an eating disorder. I think it was the whole ethos. I was totally unprepared for the realities of strict weight requirements and the level of criticism. I was told I was too big and this had an effect on my whole well being. My self esteem and confidence suffered and the more I struggled to lose the weight the more of a failure I felt. Thin people are always portrayed as the popular people, those who are more beautiful and more successful so you relate the failure to lose weight with being a failure as a person.

As Ellie says, there is no escaping the studio mirrors. Obsession is a part of dance and you can’t escape it. The difference between someone looking at magazines and getting an eating disorder, and a dancer getting an eating disorder is that when you're a dancer you not only have your own head telling you that you need to be skinny, you have coaches and teachers telling you that too.

Being in front of a mirror in tights you notice every bulge, every imperfection. You have time to obsess because it's staring right back at you every day. And in class, when you are doing centre work next to a girl who is skinnier than you, you compare and obsess, it’s natural.

Like Eleanor I think it is rather comforting now to know I was actually not on my own even though at the time it, did feel that way. I didn’t know there were others experiencing and suffering all the same feelings I was.  I also felt ashamed to talk about it. There are those who think any responsible person can consciously control the desire to eat and therefore anyone can eat less until the desired weight is achieved. Therefore when the weight loss doesn’t happen you think you must be a total failure.

I thought as a line of inquiry this was very personal to me and very worthwhile to help others in my professional practice – just setting a facebook page up to discuss the issues has already been useful.

Opening up a line of communication with others who understand the problems and can share similar experiences is an idea I think I could take forward and develop to help others who may be afraid to talk openly.  I think by sharing our diet horror experiences and discussing them openly we can learn lessons to assist us and others in the future.

I think there should be some set guidelines and policies put in place regarding weight standards for students in vocational colleges. What do others think?

We should be promoting positive body image which is a healthy dancer both physically and mentally. 

One audition I went for at a top college weighed and measured you as you went through the door. The principal spoke to us as a group and warned us she waited outside McDonalds and KFC with a stick to poke any of her students who she caught eating there!!  I don’t know how serious she was about that but saying it was enough to put the fear of god in her students.

I also remember a very flippant remark made to me that I took as a joke at the time but now on reflection, I wonder if it was? 
I was dancing a duet at ‘Move It’ and I had already accepted my place at college, a 3rd year student was congratulating me on my performance and my success getting into Bird. He asked me what I was going to do now the performance was over and I said, “eat pizza I’m starving” and his reply, “Make the most of it, you won’t be able to eat pizza when you come to college !”  

Should there actually be any weight standards and if so how do we strike the balance between ensuring dancers are healthy but meet the aesthetic requirements?  And what are those standards to be?

Is it time to re-evaluate the systems in vocational dance colleges ?

It is so evident from talking to fellow dancers here and at auditions and classes that there are just too many dancers emotionally scarred by humiliating remarks made and other inappropriate tactics used not only about weight but about overall body image in general. 

What do others think?

In this modern society where we are always taught to be considerative of diversity and equality and there are discrimination laws and human rights laws challenged how can we as dancers  make sure we try to take responsibility to promote these issues for our own well being in a tough  industry?