Eating Disorders In Young Dancers

Eating disorders are becoming very prominent in young dancers. Dancers are told at a young age that they must look a certain way in order to make it in the world of dance. Dancers are told at young ages that they must have the body of a ballerina in order to make it as a professional dancer. The body of a ballerina is often described as having long legs with a long torso and also being very athletic looking. Also in ballet there is a pressure placed on dancers to be perfect. Dancers are told that there is always someone better then them and that they must keep trying until they are perfect in all aspects of dance. This mindset causes many dancers to strive for perfection making them try and have the perfect ballet body as the first step. Being a dancer myself and seeing many struggle with this has made this topic very personal to me. Also …show more content…
This topic is important to me because everyones personal story is different although what sparks the disorder might be the same for many dancers the thoughts that go through their head on a daily basis are drastically different. Each person has a different view of themselves causing everyones disorder to be different. After reading the different articles I have learned more about what drives an eating disorder and the obsessive thoughts that take over a persons mind. Also I have found information on the physical and mental problems that come from living this lifestyle. Along with these topics I have also chosen to research more about the family perspective and how sometimes they can be overlooked as the dancer looking fit or have the body of a ballerina.The articles that I have found show how an eating disorders are prominent in dancers and what drives them. Most people associate an eating disorder with a specific body type. What people don 't understand is that an eating disorder is not a body type and people with different body types can be suffering from