Body Image Support for Dancers

For dancers striving to improve body image and feel confident in their bodies, it’s essential to use the right tools to support the journey. However, with terms like “body positivity,” “body neutrality,” “body acceptance,” and “body image resilience” circulating on social media, it can be hard to determine what’s best for a dancer. This article will help clear the confusion and provide actionable strategies to help dancers build lasting body confidence.

What is Body Image?

Body image refers to how we perceive and feel about our bodies— both in the mirror and in our minds. According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), body image is a reflection of:

• Beliefs about our appearance
• Feelings towards our body shape, including height, size, and weight
• How we feel physically and how our body moves in the world

Body image develops from a young age, often shaped by external messaging, and can be positive or negative depending on experiences and perceptions.

Why Do Dancers Struggle with Body Image?

Dancers at all levels face body image challenges. Studies show that over 75% of dancers feel pressured to lose weight, with stress often arising from:

• Mirror comparisons
• Tight-fitting costumes and uniforms
• The belief that lower body weights lead to better performance
• Casting decisions based on weight (many dancers feel a lower body weight might correlate with a better role).

Mindset distortions can intensify these struggles, leaving dancers disconnected from their here-and-now bodies. Common cognitive patterns include:

• All-or-nothing thinking (ie “I’ll never look like a dancer if I keep eating this way!“)
• Overgeneralization (ie “Other dancers look better than me“)
• Negative Filtering (ie “I’m just not made for this.”)
• “Should” statements (ie “I should watch what I eat as a dancer“)
• Conclusive thinking (ie “my body will never be right for ballet.“)

This pressure to conform to outdated body ideals can lead to body dissatisfaction and even body dysmorphia, contributing to disordered eating and eating disorders.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 Body Image?

Improving body image is a personal and evolving process, influenced by the dancer’s mindset, environment, and the dance culture, including those in charge (like directors, educators, and choreographers). 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?

While body positivity often refers to loving our bodies just as they are, therapist Colleen Werner notes that body positivity, rooted in social justice, is much broader and is meant to center marginalized bodies. It’s important to recognize that body positivity, in its original context, is not the sole focus for everyone, especially when dancers face years of stigma around their bodies.

Is Body Acceptance The Goal?

Striving for body acceptance can feel overwhelming, particularly in an industry that idolizes only one body type. This is especially true for dancers who have experienced years of stigma against their bodies. As a multi-privileged dietitian and dancer, I recognize my blind spots in guiding dancers toward body acceptance. Instead, we focus on a more approachable alternative: body neutrality.

According to Werner, body neutrality encourages a less intimidating journey compared to body acceptance. It helps dancers focus on what their bodies do for them rather than how they look.

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.

Practical Steps for Improving Body Image

#1: Start with Recognition

Reflect on your body’s history. When did you first start doubting your body? Was it triggered by a comment from a teacher, peer, or family member? 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.

#2: Access Body Neutrality

On days when self-love or confidence feels out of reach, body neutrality can be an empowering alternative. It allows dancers to live without constant self-judgment about their weight, shape, or size. By focusing on what the body can do, rather than how it looks, dancers can lessen the mental burden of negative self-talk. Werner shares two journaling prompts for fostering body neutrality:

1. Who is profiting off of me hating my body? (ie. diet culture)
2. What is something that my body does for me that I am grateful for?

#3: Rely On Body Image Boosters (Affirmations)

Affirmations describe factual attributes that offer emotional support. Whether believed or not, affirmations help to neutralize negative self-talk. By reminding yourself daily of your body’s strength and value, you can gradually shift toward a healthier mindset. Here are some examples of affirmations for dancers:

1. I may not love my body yet, but I can feel strong in my body no matter its size.
2. The number on the scale doesn’t reflect me or my dance abilities.
3. My body makes me special and unique.
4. Body acceptance is a journey and I’m on it.
5. I enjoy feeling good about my body.
6. If I don’t feel good about my body, I can strive for body neutrality.
7. My current self is enough.
8. I am grateful for my body.
9. I am thankful for my strength.
10. I don’t have to love my body, but I can respect it.
11. My body deserves nourishing food, always.
12. My body allows me to experience the world; that’s awesome.
13. My body deserves to be taken care of with nourishing meals.
14. My body doesn’t deserve negative ridicule.
15. I am learning how to love my body.
16. I love delicious food and there is no shame in that.
17. I want to treat my body with love and respect.
18. I give my body permission to change.
19. I am more than the food I eat.
20. I believe that I can find peace in my body.
21. I believe that I can truly love my current self.
22. The foods I eat do not reflect my self-worth.
23. I permit myself to feel satisfied with my food choices.
24. There is no such thing as one perfect or ideal body type.
25. What I ate yesterday does not dictate what I eat today.
26. I possess the qualities needed to be successful in whatever I choose to do.

This is not easy and may require support. Consider my 5 Days to Body Confidence Challenge, which involves a network of dancers rewriting their body script. It is also encouraged to reach out to a licensed professional, such as a mental health therapist or registered dietitian nutritionist.

Body Image Resilience for Dancers

Dancers often face external pressures that reinforce negative body image. When we spend time thinking negatively about our bodies, we become conditioned to think that these thoughts are our reality. Negative self-talk is both unhelpful and a contributer to disordered eating.

Body image resilience is another helpful tool that can be utilized throughout a dancer’s journey towards body acceptance. It allows to build a strong response to body-related triggers— comments about weight or body size. Building resilience helps dancers respond thoughtfully to these triggers, rather than reacting impulsively. Here are strategies to get you started:

#1: Identify The Trigger

Whether it’s a comment, a social media post, or a costume fitting, identifying what caused the negative feeling is the first step. 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. 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

It’s 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 dancers. Before succumbing to these emotions, take a deep breath and decipher the origins of the trigger. According to Psychologist Rachel Goldman, “We need to remind ourselves to pause, breathe, and then try to respond, instead of reacting.”

#3: Neutralize The Thought

Detangle fact from fiction. 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 you feel can use some work.

1. Food guilt
2. Body goals
3. Weight gain
4. Returning to the studio
5. Exercise training load
6. The amount you’re eating

#4: Reassess and Diminish The Trigger

Once you’ve gained competence in your areas of insecurity, diminish the trigger. This might be tough, especially for dancers struggling with body dysmorphia. Remember, our thoughts aren’t always the reality.

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.

#5: Take Action

Now that you’ve identified, deconstructed, and unraveled the trigger, it’s time to take action, shift your attention, and move forward. 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, detox by unfollowing triggering accounts. You’ll also want to review these tips about ending the comparative mindset.

Key Takeaways: Body Image Support for Dancers

Multiple tools can be utilized to build a supportive relationship with your body. This article deciphers between:

1. Body positivity
2. Body acceptance
3. Body confidence

And the specific tools an individual can use to get there:

1. Body neutrality
2. Body appreciation
3. 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 journaling your new body truth, adding daily reminders to your phone, or turning to a helpful app for inspiration, you’ll have to continue the work in the long run.

1. Actionable Tips from a Licensed Therapist
2. A Lesson To Learn From Colleen Werner
3. Defining A Dancer’s “Healthy” Body Weight
4. Stop the Comparisons

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