To improve body image and feel confident in your body as a dancer, you need to consider tools that will support the journey. But with terms like “body positivity,” “body neutrality,” “body acceptance,” and “body image resilience” being tossed around social platforms, it can be difficult to decipher which is best for a dancer. This article will deconstruct these various terms to help dancers strategize their journey towards body confidence.
What is body image?
According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), body image is how a dancer sees themselves in the mirror or when they picture themselves in their mind. Body image is a reflection of:
- One’s beliefs about their appearance
- One’s feelings towards their body shape, including their height, shape, and weight.
Body image can also involve how one feels in their body, including physical sensations and how their body moves throughout the world. Body image is created starting at a young age and often reflects internalized messaging, which sets the stage for the development of either a positive or negative body image.
Why are dancers prone to struggling with body image?
Dancers at all levels struggle with poor body image. Research demonstrates that more than 75% of dancers feel pressure to lose weight with stress often originating from:
- Comparative mirror thoughts
- Tight-fitting uniforms (like leotards) and costumes
- Beliefs that lower body weights offer a performance advantage
- Casting (many dancers feel a lower body weight might correlate with a better role).
Mindset distortions can exacerbate these self-doubts, leaving dancers feeling disconnected from their here-and-now bodies. Some of these patterns of thinking include:
- All-or-nothing thinking (ie. “if I continue to eat X, I’ll never look like a dancer.“)
- Overgeneralization (ie. “all of the other dancers look better than me.“)
- Magnification and Minimalization (ie. “I’ve never looked worse!“)
- Negative Filter (ie. “my body just doesn’t fit the mold.“)
- “Should” statements (ie. “I should watch what I eat as a dancer“)
- Jumping to conclusions (ie. “my body will never be right for ballet.“)
- Emotional Reasoning (ie. “I feel so upset… I know I’ll never get the role!“)
There’s no doubt that this vulnerability to negative body image is a direct result of antiquated body ideals that unfortunately saturate the industry. Body dissatisfaction and body dysmorphia commonly result from this negative body image and can lead to the development of disordered eating and/or eating disorders. To learn more about the negative implications of diet culture and weight stigma in the dance world, click here.
How can dancers improve their body image?
Improvements in a dancer’s body image will depend on the individual dancer, the dancer’s environment, those in charge (like directors, educators, and choreographers), and the dance industry as a whole. I’ve previously discussed the role that dance educators can take to support healthier habits in their studios.
From my experience with body dissatisfaction, I share how I’ve learned how to build a supportive body image, shifting perspectives and utilizing compassionate curiosity to understand my here-and-now body. Dancers can formulate tools to build a supportive body image internally (such as with self-talk) and externally (responding to external triggers).
Is body positivity the goal?
We commonly attribute body positivity to feeling joyous and happy about our here-and-now bodies. But Colleen Werner, a therapist, and mental health coach explains that this version of body positivity is “diluted.” According to Werner, body positivity is rooted in social justice and “created out of the fat liberation movement first led by fat queer Black women and femmes.” Bottom line: it’s “much bigger and needs to center marginalized bodies.”
Is body acceptance the goal?
Striving for body acceptance can feel overwhelming when immersed in a culture that unfortunately idealizes only one body type. This is especially true for dancers who have experienced years of stigma against their bodies. I don’t teach dancers how to find body acceptance. This is because as a multi-privileged dietitian and dancer, I acknowledge my blindspots in this work. It is therefore essential that dancers also seek support from those with lived experience (check out more resources for dancers and practitioners here!)
Werner encourages dancers to consider “fostering body neutrality over body acceptance.” Werner believes that “language is key in empowering folks to heal their relationships with their bodies, and the word ‘neutrality’ over the word ‘acceptance’ has a less intimidating connotation.” According to Werner, “…striving for neutrality can often feel much more approachable and less intimidating.”
Improving your body image: start with recognition
Grab a journal and pen. Now, think about your body’s history. Do you remember a specific time when you began to second-guess the shape or size of your body? Where did this thought originate from? Was it the result of a comment from a teacher, director, or choreographer? Maybe it was a family member or a friend? If you were told to lose weight, then who was it that suggested this to you? Perhaps it wasn’t a person, but rather an image or social media post you stumbled upon. Once you identify the origin(s) of your negative body image, we can work to strip away the criticism. Journal these thoughts and comments. Let’s face these words together. Body image resilience towards triggering content can be a helpful tool in this step. Here’s an article that dives into the process.
This is not easy and may require support. Consider my 5 Days To Body Confidence Challenge for a network of dancers rewriting their body script. It is also encouraged that you reach out to a licensed professional such as a Mental Health Therapist or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist if you’re body image struggle is impacting your relationship with food.
Body Neutrality and Body Image Resilience- Confidence for Dancers
Unfortunately, the dance industry is saturated with idolized body beliefs that can challenge a dancer’s body image and self-confidence. When we spend much of our time thinking negatively about our bodies, we become conditioned to think that these thoughts are our reality. Negative self-talk is both unhelpful and likely to contribute to disordered eating habits.
What Is Body Neutrality?
Body neutrality is a tool that allows us to live as we are, without overthinking our body’s weight, shape, and size. It alleviates self-judgment and internal ridicule. Body neutrality also lessens the pressure of having to wholeheartedly *accept* or feel confident in our bodies, but can simultaneously be part of one’s journey towards eventually getting there.
If you’re experiencing a day when self-love or confidence seems a bit out-of-reach (this can be hard to avoid in our culture!), then striving for body neutrality versus body acceptance or body confidence can make you feel less discouraged. Werner provides us with two journaling prompts for fostering body neutrality. Ask yourself:
- Who is profiting off of me hating my body? (ie. diet culture)
- What is something that my body does for me that I am grateful for?
To transform negative thoughts, we can shift them with more supportive alternatives and affirmations. By definition, affirmations describe factual attributes that offer emotional support. Whether you believe them or not, take a second to build a list of personal affirmations. Over time, these thoughts can help you condition yourself to a more neutral and subsequent useful mindset. Building a list of affirmations will help you neutralize and rewrite your mental self-talk. Once you construct your positive conversation, consider writing yourself daily reminders. My favorite technique? Adding these affirmations as reminders on my phone. Here are some examples:
25+ confidence-boosting affirmations for dancers
- I may not love my body yet, but I can feel strong in my body no matter its size.
- The number on the scale doesn’t reflect me or my dance abilities.
- My body makes me special and unique.
- Body acceptance is a journey and I’m on it.
- I enjoy feeling good about my body.
- If I don’t feel good about my body, I can strive for body neutrality.
- My current self is enough.
- I am grateful for my body.
- I am thankful for my strength.
- I don’t have to love my body, but I can respect it.
- My body deserves nourishing food, always.
- My body allows me to experience the world; that’s awesome.
- My body deserves to be taken care of with nourishing meals.
- My body doesn’t deserve negative ridicule.
- I am learning how to love my body.
- I love delicious food and there is no shame in that.
- I want to treat my body with love and respect.
- I give my body permission to change.
- I am more than the food I eat.
- I believe that I can find peace in my body.
- I believe that I can truly love my current self.
- The foods I eat do not reflect my self-worth.
- I permit myself to feel satisfied with my food choices.
- There is no such thing as one perfect or ideal body type.
- What I ate yesterday does not dictate what I eat today.
- I possess the qualities needed to be successful in whatever I choose to do.
Cultivating a mindset that encompasses kind and compassionate thoughts is one of the best ways to transform our beliefs and create a new mental script. But what happens when the negativity comes from external triggers?
Body Image Resilience for Dancers
Body image resilience, like body neutrality, is another helpful tool that can be utilized throughout one’s journey towards body acceptance. Building resilience towards the inevitable: triggering messages surrounding body image and diet culture.
The main goal of building body image resilience is to strengthen your response to triggering messages. Dr. Rachel Goldman, a licensed psychologist in New York with expertise in eating behaviors and perfectionism, says “In these instances, we often react instead of respond… but we can build a toolbox to respond more productively.”
#1: Identify The Trigger
Triggers can hide behind the powerful words of even the most trusted people. Triggers can also be unintentional. What triggers one dancer might not trigger another dancer. If you’re feeling emotions like unworthiness, anxiety, sadness, or self-doubt, then ask yourself: what is causing me to feel this way?
Becoming mindfully aware of your triggers is the first step to building resilience against them. If you cannot pinpoint the trigger, then start with the thought or the feeling. From there, think about what sparked that thought or feeling. Was it a comment directed to you? Perhaps it was a comment not directed to you, but overheard? Was it hearing about another dancer’s experience (like, for example, their recent weight gain or weight loss)? I polled my followers on Instagram and compiled their most common triggers. Here’s what we rounded up:
- Calorie counts
- Body Labels (“dance body,” “ballet body”)
- Body comments (“bigger,” “smaller”)
- Costume fittings and costume sizes
- Diet talk
- Specific body weights/numbers
- Portion sizes
- Clothing sizes (numbers)
- “Healthy” eating
- “Clean” eating
And specific statements, like:
- “You look well/unwell.”
- “The quarantine 15”
- “[Insert name here] lost X pounds!”
- “[Insert name here] gained X pounds!”
- “Getting into shape” or “staying fit”
- “You’re not going to eat all of that, are you?”
- “[Insert name] looks like a dancer!”
- “Your [insert body part here] look(s) toned!”
- “Eat in moderation!”
- “Careful… that’s high in fat/sugar!”
- “That’s unhealthy, isn’t it?”
- “Your body looks [insert adjective here]!”
Once you’ve identified the trigger, utilize this complementary workbook to jot them down.
#2: Validate Your Feelings
Given the culture, it is unfortunately common to feel upset in these instances. By now, your emotions are likely escalating as feelings of self-consciousness and self-judgment overwhelm even the most resilient of dancers. But before succumbing to these emotions, take a deep breath and decipher the origins of the trigger. According to Goldman, “We need to remind ourselves to pause, breathe, and then try to respond, instead of reacting.”
#3: Neutralize and detangle facts from fiction
Educate yourself about areas of potential insecurities. Goldman says, “We can remind ourselves to focus on what’s in our control… this is our response to the situation.” Here is a list of articles that dive into the most common dancer insecurities. Read through them to gain competence in the area in which you feel can use some work.
- Food guilt
- Body goals
- Weight gain
- Returning to the studio
- Exercise training load
- The amount you’re eating
Then, utilize your worksheet to jot down some thoughts about the origins of the trigger.
#4: Reassess and Diminish The Trigger
Once you’ve gained competence in your areas of insecurity, start to diminish the trigger. This might be tough, especially for dancers struggling with body dysmorphia. Remember, our thoughts aren’t always the reality. “We all have unhelpful thoughts… we need to acknowledge this and examine the evidence to challenge them,” says Goldman.
Here’s a trick: assess the trigger’s impact on each realm of your well-being: physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Goldman suggests, “utilize self-talk… while it’s human nature to compare, remind yourself that each individual is different.” For example, hearing the trigger: “[insert name here] looks like they lost weight!” can spark one to turn to restrictive eating as a means to manipulate their weight. But we know, [detangle fact from fiction] that restrictive eating leads to mental burnout, physical fatigue, and emotional isolation. Relying on positive affirmations will help (you can find my favorites here).
#5: Speak Up and Divert Yourself
Now that you’ve identified, deconstructed, and unraveled the trigger, it’s time to take action, shift your attention, and move forward. First and foremost, and if you feel safe, address the triggering comment or action. If someone makes a weight-related comment that makes you uncomfortable, don’t hesitate to communicate your boundaries. Politely assert that such comments are not helpful.
Encourage a supportive and constructive dialogue. If you’re uncomfortable speaking to the source of the trigger, then turn to a trusted individual for help. This might mean getting a parent, a therapist, a friend, and/or a teacher involved.
Once you’ve taken action, turn to trusted activities that support your realistic and positive goals. Self-care looks different for everyone, but a few examples include listening to music, reading a book, or journaling. If your social media feed triggers you, then you’ll need to detox your newsfeed: unfollow triggering accounts. You’ll also want to review these tips about how to end the comparative mindset.
According to Dr. Goldman, “Build a toolbox that is readily available when you need it… Some situations need different coping tools and/or a combination of tools… having a variety is key.” Subtle suggestion: add today’s worksheet to your toolbox.
Key Takeaways: Body Image Support for Dancers
Multiple tools can be utilized in the process of building a supportive relationship with your body. This article deciphers between:
- Body positivity
- Body acceptance
- Body confidence
And the specific tools an individual can use to get there:
- Body neutrality
- Body appreciation
- Body Image resilience
It’s important to understand that while these tools (body neutrality and body image resilience, specifically) might be helpful at the individual level, they aren’t enough to dismantle the institutional weight bias and systemic oppression of those in larger bodies. Neither should derail us from our need to challenge implicit biases. One’s use of body neutrality and/or body image resilience should include a reevaluation of oppressive body standards and challenge systemic fatphobia. To learn more about the harmful implications of diet culture and weight stigma, read this article.
A working relationship with your body is ever-evolving and not stagnant. It also involves a very proactive approach to challenging implicit weight bias, fatphobia, and the systemic oppression of larger bodies. Whether it means journaling your new body truth, adding daily reminders to your phone, or perhaps turning to a helpful app for inspiration, you’ll have to continue the work in the long run.
- Actionable Tips from a Licensed Therapist
- A Lesson To Learn From Colleen Werner
- Defining A Dancer’s “Healthy” Body Weight
- Stop the Comparisons
