Analysis and results of questionnaire data

I posted a questionnaire on my blog and via Facebook and also targeted 30 specific dance practitioners. These were a cross section of females aged from 18 to 50 years old and included vocational dance students, professional dancers, choreographers, dance teachers, agents, artistic directors and fellow BAPP students from my original SIG for module 2 who were also looking at similar issues.

I compiled a list of 10 questions to establish their opinions and views on body imagery in the dance industry and to inform me for my research for my inquiry question.    

Although the actual number who completed the questionnaire was disappointing I have detailed the questions below and a summary of the corresponding answers in the sample.

Data gather - questions

1.       Do you feel pressure to conform to a specific body type?

80% said yes. 20% said no.

2.      Have you ever felt uncomfortable about your body image?

100% said yes.

3.      Would you consider surgery to correct any 'defect' you feel you have? If so, what and why?

Most answered only for medical reasons would they consider surgery.

4.      Have you felt pressure about your body from other people?

22% said friends. 33% said agents. 44% said employers. 44% said school peers. 33% said magazines. 11% said television.

5.      Do you think we are a 'body conscious' society?

      100% said yes.

6.      Where do the ideals stem from and the factors that influence a dancer’s body image?

7.      Will dancers go to any extreme even damage their health to get their moment of glory and because they want to dance so much?

50% said yes. 50% said maybe.

8.     If dancers felt empowered to challenge behaviours and attitudes could this alter behaviours and attitudes?

40% said yes. 10% said no. 50% said maybe.

9.      Should we in the dance industry be doing more to promote a healthy dancer and change attitudes towards body image? If so, any suggestions how?
100% said yes

10.  In this modern society where consideration of diversity and equality are advocated and there are discrimination laws and human rights laws challenging practices, how can we as dancers make sure we try to take responsibility to promote, with regards to body image, our own well being in a tough industry?
100% said through better education  

Summary of responses

Here is a compilation of some of the reasons given for the outcomes above.

Even though I didn’t get as many responses for my survey as I had hoped it was still very interesting and helpful towards my inquiry. Most of the results confirmed the findings of my research of other literature from the articles and websites I found, agreeing:

·         that we are a body conscious society

·         that all these female dancers surveyed  suffer from body ‘hang ups’

·         everyone feels the pressures regarding body image from the media and even more so as a dancer, this is more prevalent from agents, employers, school peers and magazines with less pressure from friends and television

·         most felt it would be a hard battle to change attitudes within the dance industry as they are so deeply embedded and there is no regulation or built in checks and only half felt that it  would change

·         all felt better health education would be welcomed and should be encouraged and is the way forward for the dance industry to get away from the unhealthy skinny dancers  that have been prevalent in recent years

·         it was also evident that young dancers  suffer body image issues but as dancers get older and more experienced they learn to accept their bodies and become more comfortable and confident     

Everyone I sent the survey to has either studied dance, teaches dance or is in the performance industry as I thought I would have different opinions and thoughts which would give me a wider variety of views.

I selected 2 of those who answered the questionnaire to interview further and asked them the following questions..........................................

 Who in your life has made you feel the most beautiful physically and what did they do or say?

No 1 said her husband always tells her she is beautiful.
No 2 said her parents always told her she was beautiful and just perfect the way she was.  

Who contributed most to your feeling uneasy and dissatisfied with your body and what did they do or say?

Both replied their teachers at college who suggested they lose weight. One said she had a real complex at college as each day they would be lined up and comments would be made about their bodies and each week there would be a public weigh in. Comments such as "I can see your breakfast" - she said this often made her feel humiliated and she felt pressure to go on a diet to conform and to try and feel she belonged and to avoid further humiliating remarks.

  

What are your beliefs about what life is like for the "culturally-defined" gorgeous woman?

What experiences do you think these women have that you do not?
One said that when she was at college she presumed they had an amazing life , lots of boyfriends, money, the best jobs, travelling the world but now she is older she doesn't put so much stock on such things and knows that the fame and glamour doesn't mean happiness.

The other said she thought they would get more job opportunities.

Would you trade places with them if you could?

One said she would've when she was younger but not now.
The other said no she would not, there would be too much stress and pressure to maintain her looks living in the public eye and being always on show.

How do you imagine your life would change if you looked like them?
Both said they probably would have had more job opportunities and therefore earned more money and probably been more successful.   

If you could change something about your body, what would you change?

One said bigger boobs.

The other said longer and thinner legs.

How do you imagine this change would impact your life?
Both said it would give them more confidence and they are convinced they would have had more success in their dance careers.

When in your life did you start comparing yourself to other women?

Both said whilst at school

How much of your time and energy goes into these comparisons?

One said - nowadays not much at all, I've learned to accept myself the way I am but when I was a dance student it was constant as the competition for jobs was so fierce and you couldn't help but compare yourself to others and see all your own flaws in the mirrors - leotard and tights takes no prisoners.

The other reply was that it still makes her feel very negative about herself and she feels a failure if she doesn't lose weight when she feels the need to - such as for a special occasion.   

How much time in your life have you spent thinking about changing, promising to change, wishing you could change aspects of your body?

One said she no longer does that anymore as it is wasted energy and she just accepts her body shape and tries to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle but admits she wasted a lot of time in her college days wishing she could change things about herself.

The other says she feels like she has been on a diet her whole life and constantly battles to make the right weight.

How do you feel when a woman much smaller than you starts talking about how fat she is or how she just has to lose a few pounds?

No 1 said nowadays she would just laugh about it but admitted in the past to finding it rather infuriating.

No 2 said it makes her feel upset and angry as she has to struggle constantly with her weight. 

How do you feel about her and how does it make you feel about yourself?

No 2 said, It makes me feel that I must be really obese if she thinks she's fat and it depresses me. I also think to myself what does she think of me then.

Were there any important messages your parents taught you about physical beauty, size, shape?

No 1 said her mother was always monitoring her food from an early age as a dancer and encouraged her to be "skinny".

No 2 said her parents always told her she was beautiful the way she was and to be happy and healthy.

Do you still believe these messages? Are they good or harmful for you?
No 1 said she felt she should have had more freedom to make her own choices but No 2 felt her parents hadn't really helped her prepare for the realities of the dance world and its expectations with regard to body image and she wished they had had a stricter regime on her as a child but now she was older she realises the messages were the right ones.

Did you know any very large women when you were growing up?

Was their size discussed?

How did you feel about what was said about their size?

How did you relate these statements to yourself?

No 1 said she couldn't really remember many really big women but a friend of her mother's was always referred to as "my fat friend" which I never thought about at the time but now think it is rather demeaning.
No 2 said she always felt large women were discussed in a very uncomplimentary way and believes there is a "weight - ist" element in society that are discriminatory towards larger people as if they are less worthy people and therefore less successful and less deserving. I think it made me not want to be viewed in those terms.

Conclusion - what this means for my inquiry

The data collected confirms the findings in other articles and literature that we are a very body conscious society and that as female dance practitioners we are very aware of the pressures we are under to conform to certain body cultures. We constantly struggle with body image. We are concerned about our weight and whether our size and shape is acceptable to others, often failing to accept ourselves and struggling with weight issues which can manifest into eating disorders for many. The recurring message in the literature and data collected is that better health education  would help the dance industry try to change the attitudes and demands and promote happier and healthier dancers.