Ballet dancers are known for their graceful leaps and turns and beautiful presence. What most people do not know is what goes into their performances that appear to look effortless. Ballet dancers put in hours of work to look a certain way and to fit the right "look" that is needed. The pressure to be perfect and to look a certain way leads many dancers to have unhealthy eating habits. Dancers rely on their bodies as a musician would rely on their instrument. A dancer's body is their instrument and therefore they obsess over getting it to be a certain way. Ballet is said to be the most weight obsessed subculture in the country (Jerome Schnitt). The "normal weight" for the general population is considered "overweight" by a dancer's peers, teachers, and self (Schnitt). Female, adolescent, elite ballet dancers are more susceptible to eating disorders and body dysmorphia than non-dancers. 

As someone who has danced their entire life in an elite setting, I can say that I have witnessed these pressures first hand, as well as witnessed some peers that have struggled with this issue as well.  Being in such an intense training environment can often lead to stress and self confidence issues. The issue of eating disorders and body dysmorphia in ballet dancers is way more common than one may think, and it is a real problem. According to studies, "body dissatisfaction is present among 37% to 84% of ballet dancers" (Rebecca Ringham, Kelly Klump, and Walter Kaye).  Eating disorders can be detrimental to ones personal health in many ways. 

Eating disorders can lead to altered body weight, muscle loss, reduced bone density, fatigue, low blood pressure, and more (NEDA). Especially because these dancers are undergoing such vigorous training, their bodies are in need of more nutrients. This makes having an eating disorder even more of a problem to one's health. 

Elite ballet dancers undergo rigorous training constantly to perfect their technique. They are constantly being compared to other dancers and competing to be the "top" of their classes and to be cast in the roles that they want. They are put in environments of extreme competition with not only their peers but with themselves. They are constantly put under pressure to look and perform a certain way. Ballet is incredibly disciplined and structured, making students look the way a ballet dancer "should" look. Traditionally, dancers have been thinner because it looked better on stage and made them easier to lift, but throughout time, those thinness norms have become a lot more extreme. Not all dancers experience these pressures, but those in the best and most intense training environments are definitely exposed to it at some point in their dance career. Certain types of dancers experience thinness norms and the pressures to be perfect more than others. It has been proven that young ballet dancers in elite training environments are more likely to develop body image issues than an average non-dancer, or any other type of dancer. 

It has been said that body image depends on the level and style of dance. The issue of eating disorders and body dysmorphia is more prevalent in ballet dancers than modern dancers. The "ideal body" for modern dancers is very different than that of a ballet dancer. Ballet is more structured and disciplined, and has specific moves and techniques. However, modern dance is more about creating new movements and expressing yourself through movement. It has a more pedestrian look to it, with more natural and human movements, while ballet is the opposite. In modern dance, there is less of a concern about entertaining an audience and more of a concern about the dancer themselves expressing themselves and their emotions. In ballet, the whole idea is to look ascetically pleasing on stage and have an audience appreciate the beauty of the structure and discipline. A ballet environment encourages dancers to lose weight and stay slender, while other types of dance are more lenient and easy going with their appearance (Susan W. Langdon and Gina Petrecca).

The Dance Magazine article "Food Obsessed?" is written by a professional ballet dancer, Kathleen McGuire, who shares her personal experience with an eating disorder. She wrote about the difference between a professional dancer who watches what they eat in order to stay healthy, and a dancer with an eating disorder. She feels that many people do not realize that they are crossing the line into an eating disorder. She writes about how dancers are still eating, so they think they are eating healthily, but they are eating such small amounts of food that their calorie intake is too low. She exposes the pressures she has personally felt as a professional dancer and how it led her to having unhealthy eating habits. She shares her own experience about how dancers are more susceptible to disordered eating than non-dancers because of the need to be thin and the personality traits of a typical dancer (Kathleen McGuire).

It has also been said that certain personality traits of ballet dancers have an effect on the likeliness of them developing an eating disorder. Young elite dancers are at a higher risk for disordered eating for many reasons. Dancers endure rigorous training and are expected to look a certain way. They are also exposed to the thinness ideal more often than the average person. A dancer's leanness and weight are critical components of their performance, causing many dancer's to feel the need to self-regulate their eating in a negative way. Studies have shown that personal factors, such as self-esteem and self-determination are directly correlated with the thinness standard within dancers.  Different personality traits are known to have different effects on disordered eating. The article "Big Five Personality Traits and Eating Attitudes in Intensively Training Dancers: The Mediating Role of Internalized Thinnness Norms", compares disordered eating to the big five model of traits, which focuses on extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and open-ness to experience. Neuroticism is the personality trait that is most commonly associated with eating disorders (Scoffier-Meriauz, Falzon and Lewton-Brain). According to the article, the mixture of high neuroticism and low extraversion is a risk factor for eating disorders in dancers. Other personality traits are also said to be risk factors of disordered eating, such as, perfectionism, low agreeableness, and highness to experience. 

Another big factor that goes into eating disorders in dancers is the idea of perfectionism. Dancers spend hours upon hours practicing in front of a mirror and putting their bodies under close inspection. They are surrounded by other dancers, who are going for the same goal, creating a sense of competition. They feel that they need to be the best, and many dancers believe that being thin and "perfect" will make them the best. Ballet dancers are at the highest risk for developing eating disorders because "they practice exercises ritualistically to stop thinking, feeling, to reduce their bodies to the barest minimum of fat and muscle and to deny themselves all other pleasures in order to achieve that goal" (Kylie J. Penniment and Sarah J. Egan). Dancers aim for a low weight because they believe that it will enhance their performance. Dancers who have high levels of perfectionism are known to put themselves in a more competitive environment. Also, dancers with high levels of perfectionism will have a stronger focus on thinness within their dance class and "expect a more positive result from achieving a very low body weight" (Penniment and Egan). Dancers are said to be perfectionists in all areas of their lives, not just in dance. It is just their personality to try and be "perfect" at everything they do in their lives. 

High standards and self-critiscm are said to also have negative outcomes. These two elements together are known as "clinical perfectionism". High standards and self-criticism alone do not have much of an impact, but together they can have a huge impact (Huw Goodwin, Nicole Geach and Caroline Meyer). Perfectionism is a "multidimensional construct", which contributes to eating disorders in different ways. Some of the key constructs of perfectionism include having a concern over mistakes, an internal motivation to set and achieve challenging goals, and need for approval (Jon Arcelus and Ana Garcia-Dantas). Many dancers are incredibly motivated and know what they want. They get set on a goal and will go to extreme lengths to achieve that goal. This is a very positive personality trait to have, but some dancers will go to extremes to meet their goals.

Additionally, something that effects eating disorders is called the "female athlete triad". The female athlete triad is a condition of eating disorders, menstrual irregularity, and osteoporosis (Imogen Walker). These are three very common medical issues among adolescent girls. The female athlete triad is very common in female athletes as well.

Competition amongst dancers, perfectionist tendencies, and pressures to be thin all contribute to eating problems among dancers. Educating students on this issue should commence early on as well as throughout a dancer's career. Students need to be made more aware of the dangers of eating disorders and the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle. It is also recommended that dancers should be checked for these issues regularly and that teachers should look for changes in their dancers weights and eating habits. In a lot of people it is very difficult to tell that they are having body image issues or an eating disorder, and in some people it is very obvious. Therefore teachers and peers should be sure to watch students to make sure they are healthy.

The documentary The Starving Act, directed by Alena Kharlamenko addresses the issue of eating disorders in college dancers. Six Dance Majors at Western Michigan University as well as professionals who specialize in eating disorders are interviewed. The students who are interviewed discuss their personal experiences with eating disorders and the pressures of being a pre-professional dancer. They discuss how dance as a culture has such a big focus on appearance. They talk about how often they have witnessed this issue first hand. Some students talked about peers, while other students told their own eating disorder stories. The professionals who specialize in eating disorders gave advice about being healthy as well as the dangers of eating problems, especially in those who are physically active as much as dancers. When asked about eating disorders and dancers, one dancer said how she sees a lot of "younger girls at elite ballet schools with eating disorders" (The Starving Act). Another girl says she has even been "suggested" to lose weight from teachers and peers throughout her years of training. When asked if they knew of at least one person in their life with an eating disorder, every single dancer who was interviewed answered yes. Some people said they knew one person, and some people said they knew five. They told their stories of how the eating disorders affected themselves or their peers and spoke on all of the problems that it caused them.

Another factor that contributes to the issue of eating disorders in dancers is the media. Many young dancers watch videos online, read dance magazines, etc. and get an unrealistic idea of dance. Dance magazines include pictures of stick-thin dancers that are most likely photoshopped. They read about how successful these dancers are and it makes them think they have to be that thin in order to be that successful in the dance world. Young dancers get a morphed and contorted image in their heads of what they need to look like and some students will go to extreme lengths to look that way. 

Many dancers are also very competitive, not only with their peers, but with themselves. Dancers will compete with their peers to get the role they want, or to be the "best" in their class. They strive to be the best at what they do. Dancers also spend so much time dancing in front of a mirror, constantly scrutinizing their technique and trying to perfect every move they do. Once they learn a new dance, or a new step they feel the need to get it to be as good as it could possibly be. They will continue to work on it consistently until it is perfect. 

Most dancers also experience auditions. Whether it is for a role in a show, or a dance company, every dancer has to experience an audition at some point. Dancers are put in a room with hundreds of other people who want the same thing that they want. The room is sometimes filled with people you know, and sometimes complete strangers. Sometimes they choose 200 people, and sometimes they choose 3 people. The whole time they are trying to stand out and be the best in order to be chosen. Dancers know how much pressure it is to go to a big audition so they will spend countless hours practicing their technique and trying to look as good as they can. Their goal is to look better then the person next to them, therefore they are in constant competition with their peers and themselves. They are constantly putting pressure on their minds and their bodies trying to keep up both physically and mentally. Once they get a role, or a spot in a company, they still continue to feel the pressure. Everyone is replaceable and can be switched out at any time. They feel that if they don't keep up, they will be moved to the back of the formation, or their solo spot will be given away. Some dancers will feel the need to look a certain way to do so, therefore they may resort to unhealthy eating habits or dieting. 

On the other hand, some people disagree and believe that dancing in these elite environments does not create a negative body image. They believe that there are many other factors that contribute to eating disorders in dancers. Some people would even say that dancing 

creates a positive body image and makes dancers feel better about their bodies. I agree with this to an extent, but I do believe that some environments are a little bit too extreme to do so. There are definitely teachers and settings that create a healthy body image for their dancers and encourage healthy habits, but there are also those who don't. There are different levels of intensity in training and styles of teaching. Overall, rigorous ballet training does tend to put some negative pressures on students.

In conclusion, there are many reasons why elite, young ballet dancers are more prone to eating disorders than non-dancers. The target group that has the highest risk are young, elite ballet dancers that are in intense training environments. Many studies have been done to prove that thinness norms, the strive for perfection, personality traits, the idea of constant competition, the media, etc. are all factors that go into the high risk of eating disorders and body dysmorphia in dancers.

