Dance Magazine: Last year’s Netflix hit “America’s Sweethearts,” a docuseries about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, displayed some maddeningly contradictory attitudes toward dancer health. One moment, performers were body shamed for failing to meet the team’s punishingly narrow standards; the next, they were scolded for not properly “fueling” themselves during practice.
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Body image issues, eating disorders, and issues with overexercising have always been a part of the dance community, and I’ve personally known or heard about multiple dancers who faced this issue in their careers. There is definitely a prevalent stereotype surrounding ‘dancer bodies’, especially in forms of dance like ballet. I think that it's going to take an extremely long time to completely overhaul the current system and create a healthier environment for dancers of all shapes and sizes, but it is refreshing to see that the work is already being done to begin shifting the negative stigma around dancers with different body types. There are so many different ways to be healthy and fit, and as athletes dancers need to be able to properly fuel their bodies and take care of their health and talent before worrying about their appearance. I applaud these talented artists for the work they do and for surviving the impossible standards and pressure they have been subjected to in their field.
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