Eating Disorders and Ballet - Anorexia Nervosa is Eating the Soul of Young Dancers

Ballet is a beautiful and romantic type of performance art. It originated in the Italian court systems in the 15th century (Jonas). Since its origination, ballet has undergone many changes and gained worldwide recognition. Filled with elaborate costumes, cheering audiences, lights, weightless movements and beauty; ballet is admired by many. On the magical stage ballerinas can become whoever they wan to be, and perform in a world of fantasy. For these reasons, children, especially little girls, all over the world dream of becoming ballerinas when they grow up. However, becoming a professional ballerina is an extremely difficult accomplishment, in which few will achieve (Kelso 1). The world of ballet may seem to be filled with glitz and

Numerous studies have shown that athletes are more prone to developing eating disorders than nonathletes, as well as female athletes being more at risk than their male counterparts. Disordered eating is seen in athletes of all sports. (Johnson, 1994). The prevalence of eating disorders in the female athletic population ranges from anywhere between one and forty percent, depending on the athletes questioned, and the methodology used (Sundgot-Borgen, 1994). Rosen and Hough (1988) found that 32 percent of athletes practiced at least one pathogenic weight-control technique(141). A study done by Sundgot-Borgen, in 1994, controlled for the possibility that self-report data could be unreliable in numerous ways, including not informing coaches of their intentions, and assuring 100 percent confidentiality to the athletes who participated. It found that the risk for eating disorders is increased if an athlete's dieting is unsupervised, if there is an early start to sport-specific training, and/or extreme exercise (Sundgot-Borgen, 418).

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is defined an eating disorder that is consists of abnormally low body weight. A person suffering from this disease typically has a body mass index (BMI) that is less than 85% of what is considered normal. Anorexics have a fear of being overweight and often

According to the Mayo Clinic (2016), eating disorders are “conditions related to persistent eating behaviors that negatively impact your health, your emotions, and your ability to function in important areas of life.” One such eating disorder is anorexia nervosa. Not to be confused with anorexia, which is simply a general loss of appetite that can be attributed to many medical ailments, anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder and mental illness (Nordqvist, 2015). Anorexia nervosa is estimated to affect about .9% of women and .3% of men in their lifetime (“Eating Disorder Statistics & Research,” n.d.). In general, the disorder is commonly characterized by a distorted body image or self-concept, critically low weight (with respect to the patient’s height and age), and an irrational fear of becoming fat or an intense desire to be thin. There are two subtypes to this eating disorder: restrictive and binge/purge. In the restrictive type, the individual limits caloric intake and may compulsively over-exercise. In the binge/purge type, the individual consumes a considerable amount of food in a short period of time (binging) and then deliberately vomits (purging), takes laxatives, or fasts intensely in order to compensate for the food eaten (“General Information: Anorexia Nervosa,” n.d.). In either case, anorexia nervosa is undoubtedly a dangerous and alarming illness.

Over the past twenty years, there has been a great increase of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa which have come out as major psychological and health problems. This increase in eating disorders has resulted from the intense societal pressure to diet and conform to an unrealistic weight and body size. For the general population of women, the lifetime number of anorexia nervosa is approximately 0.7%, and that of bulimia nervosa is as high as 10.3% ( Taub & Blinde, 1992). Since many athletes contain almost the same behaviors to those with eating disorders, there has also been an increase in interest in whether athletes are at a risk for eating disorders.

Anorexia Nervosa is the condition when an individual abstains from food in order to lose weight or prevent more weight gain. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV(DSM-IV) there are four aspects of criteria to be diagnosed with anorexia: a refusal to maintain weight above what is minimally normal for one’s age and height, and extreme fear of weight gain, distorted body image, and (in females) having amenorrhea(missing three or more consecutive menstrual cycles.)(DSM-IV, 2000:589) Anorexia not only affects weight, but also alters bone growth, neurotransmitters and hormones in the brain, and electrolytes.

As demonstrated by such famous gymnasts as Kathy Johnson and Nadia Comaneci who have struggled with eating disorders themselves, women's gymnastics seems "designed for the disease" ("Dying for a medal" 1994). In the 1992 NCAA survey, 51% of the gymnastics programs that responded reported this illness among its team members, "a far greater percentage than in any other sport" ("Dying to win" 1994). Unfortunately, the real number is probably even higher.

Anorexia nervosa, usually shortened to anorexia, is defined as an emotional disorder characterized by an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat (Mayo Clinic). Some of the factors of anorexia are a refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body image (Segal). People with anorexia place a high value on controlling their weight and shape, using extreme efforts that tend to significantly interfere with activities in their lives. Thoughts about dieting, food, and one’s body may take up most of the day, leaving little time for friends, family, and other activities they used to enjoy. Life turns into always trying to lose weight. The people living with anorexia have distorted minds. They have a phobia of gaining weight and will go to extreme circumstances to achieve their ideal body image. Anorexia is not just about the food, however. Usually anorexia is an unhealthy way to manage their underlying emotional problems. When one has anorexia, they often equate thinness to self-worth and happiness. Anorexia nervosa affects millions of people worldwide, but the prevalence of them in dancers, particularly ballet dancers, is said to be nearly 20 times higher than in non-dancers (Shoker). Nevertheless, anorexia can damage health and even threaten lives.

Hence, by looking back to the beginning of ballet, it is safe to say that ballet has come a long way from being a foreign art to a dance embraced and loved by Americans. It began with only a few companies in New York, but today there are more than “65 professional, million-dollar-budget ballet companies” in the United States (Legro). Many American girls as young as three years old are taking ballet lessons and dreaming of one day becoming a ballerina in the nation’s top ballet companies. As to why these little girls are deciding to learn this art, a 14 year from California replies, “ I just think it is fun and my mom and my sister also danced ballet when she was younger, so I guess it is just part our family ” (C. Chen, personal communication,

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that affects the psyche by making the afflicted starve themselves because they are afraid of weight gain and have a false view of self image. Anorexics abuse the uses of exercise, laxatives, diuretics, drugs, and enemas to lose more weight. Anorexia is commonly adapted in teenagers but can start as early as age seven and as late as the forties. One percent of Americans suffer from anorexia nervosa and women are more affect than men are. "Individuals with anorexia are on an irrational, unrelenting quest to lose weight, and no matter how much they lose and how much their health is compromised, they want to lose more weight (Tish Davidson, Anorexia Nervosa)." The health factors for being anorexic is long

Anorexia Nervosa: often simply called anorexia - is an eating disorder characterized by an abnormally low body weight, intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of body weight.

The eating disorder anorexia nervosa is one of complex nature that is caused and sustained by many interconnected factors of life. Characterized by strict dieting, an unrealistic perception of body image, excessive exercise, depression, and OCD, this disorder has the ability to boycott the lives of many individuals (Pinel, 2014). In order to understand the effects that this disorder has, it is essential to look at the socio-cultural, psychological, and physiological factors this disorder can entail. In addition, gender discrepancy is evident in relation to anorexia nervosa, with females presenting anorexia nervosa more often than males due to the differing “ideal” body types of both sexes.

Due to the high levels of perfectionism many dancers possess (Quin, Rafferty, and Tomlinson, 2015) injury due to overtraining is a common occurrence (Ibid). A recent study conducted by Nordin-Bates, et al., (2011) found one in seven dancers will continue to dance during an injury and one in five do not seek any professional help for their injury. These results may signify the high amount of pressure that can be placed upon dancers to continue dancing, even whilst injured. It may also demonstrate how certain types of perfectionism such as self-oriented and socially-prescribed perfectionism, may dictate and impair a dancer’s judgement and the decisions they make regarding their health and well-being, such as recognising when

Anorexia Nervosa: “A disorder in which an individual refuses to maintain minimally normal body weight, intensely fears gaining weight, and exhibits a significant disturbance in his/her perception of the shape or size of his/her body.” (NEDA, 2007) This disorder involves self-starvation and extreme weight loss. This disorder is also known as a referred to as Anorexia or “Ana” by

Becoming a dancer requires extensive training hours and difficult moves to become successful, this is why dancers are at high risk for developing eating disturbances. Dancers strive to make themselves look like the “perfect dancer” which causes them them to have eating disturbances (The Incidence of Eating). Dancers need to maintain a