I’ve been around a number of conversations lately where the appropriate weight for child dancers has been discussed. There seems to be two points of view – those who express concern that children with very slight builds and very visible abs (abdominal muscles) are dangerously underweight, and those that say these children are happy and healthy and simply very fit. In the middle of a child obesity epidemic it seems ridiculous to be worrying about the health of young, fit and clearly not overweight children – but there are also definitely risks associated with being too thin.
So I spent some time reflecting on my own experiences as a dance student in the 70s, my daughter’s more recent experiences, and those of some of her classmates. And I spent some time on research on the web, looking at medical research studies on the links between and causes of underweight, depression, body image, eating disorders and dance. And there is no shortage of credible information out there if you want to look, not to mention many blogs and articles from ex-dancers or current dancers about their own personal experiences.
If you look at any individual child, it’s very hard to determine just by looking at them if they are, in fact, underweight. To some extent our body shape is determined by genetics and chance – some kids (and adults), even those that don’t do much exercise at all, seem to be able to eat plenty of food but stay pencil thin. These people are not then nutritionally compromised – thin is normal for them.
However, this healthy but genetically driven thin is not common. So when there are many children all in the same place who seem very thin, it does make critical thinkers wonder if this is a weird co-incidence or a cause for concern. When all those thin children are involved in dance, then those critical thinkers who are aware of the statistics on eating disorders and mental illness in the world of dance might raise their concerns higher.
For at least decades it has been acknowledged that certain professions have higher than normal prevalence of eating disorders and related mental health disorders (mostly anxiety and/or depression) – dancers, models and jockeys are three of the most commonly cited. And there are many reasons for this. First, both eating and anxiety disorders are highly correlated with perfectionist personalities – high performing competitive dancers are often, by nature, perfectionist. Second, dancers, models and jockeys all gain advantage in their careers by being thin – in the case of dancing low weight makes it easier to perform many dance moves and facilitates lifts and acrobatics, so there is an incentive to stay lean. Third, professional dancers (and models and jockeys) are always thin - thinness is desirable and rewarded, so a culture of being and staying thin is widespread.
Then, unlike any other sport I can think of, dancing provides ample opportunity to be self critical. Dancers spend hundreds of hours dressed in body hugging (and sometimes very small and unforgiving) studio uniforms, in front of mirrors, watching themselves and their classmates in detail in mirrors. Dancers have ample opportunity to view every lump and bump and analyse every wrinkle and wobble as they move, and they can constantly compare themselves to their classmates. Furthermore, the current generation of children and teenagers are the most photographed in history, and those photos are often shared with the world through social media for comment (and judgment – it’s important to collect as many ‘likes’ and positive comments as you can). This provides plenty of incentive for an already competitive child to compete with their classmates on numerous facets - flexibility, thinness, visibility of abs or many other measures positive and otherwise.
Children who do not participate (or are unsuccessful) in this unspoken competition are often ostracized by their peers in class – and teachers would often be oblivious to this quiet torment. Even children of perfectly normal weight begin to feel fat amongst their peers, and are subject to both real and perceived criticisms from classmates about wobbly tummies, developing breasts or costumes that don’t fit (and many of these costumes are clearly not designed for children or teens with a belly, hips or breasts). I’ve known children to drop out of dance because of this pressure alone (even at very young ages). And overweight children – who would probably benefit from being involved in dance – feel very unwelcome and intimidated in this environment, regardless of their dance abilities.
It has been argued that dancers are at higher risk of eating disorders because controlling eating is the most practical way to maintain thinness. Generally speaking, dancing is actually not very aerobic. Quite often it is an anaerobic art, focused on muscle strength and flexibility rather than cardiovascular fitness, so the average dance class doesn’t burn nearly as many calories as many other sports. Many hours spent in dance classes leaves little time for any other exercise so diet is the main way to control weight.
Most medical sources quote normal body fat percentage for a normally fit woman to be between 21-24%, and for an athletic woman to be 14-20%. Essential fat – subsistence level – is 10-13%. These figures are for adult women – adult men have lower normal body fat percentages. For children the appropriate level of body fat is a little higher (age dependent) because children need additional fat resources for growth and development – often this is held around waist and is lovingly referred to as ‘puppy fat’ – it’s normal, it is not an indicator of overweight. For a 12 year old girl normal body fat percentage might range up to 29%, with body fat below 16% considered underweight. Measuring body fat is not simple – BMI is often used as a proxy but will overestimate body fat in a muscular person. Various formulae exist and are easy to find online.
Lots of fit children from many different sports will have well developed abs, but you won’t necessarily see them. Visible abs are a clear sign of both abdominal muscle strength and very low body fat percentage. Body builders who want to show ripped abs are advised one thing – reduce body fat percentage. Competitive bodybuilders dramatically and temporarily reduce body fat just before a competition in order to make the abs as obvious as possible. It is said that an adult woman needs to have a body fat percentage of 15-17% (8-10% for men) to be able to see abs clearly – and many in the medical community advise women against pursuing this goal as abdominal body fat is important to women’s physiology (obviously competitive female bodybuilders are prepared to do it nonetheless). I’m not sure what body fat percentage is required to make abs visible on children, but if it is the same at 15-17%, and if body fat % under 16 is considered underweight in children, it doesn’t take a genius to conclude that children with very visible abs are quite possibly underweight. And this at a critical time of growth and development, and for no clear positive purpose that I can identify.
How could very low weight children (or adults) perform everything they can if they weren’t, in fact, healthy? Well, a body in starvation mode makes the best use of the energy resources it gets to fulfill the energy requirements of that body – and it withholds nutrition from other body functions in order to do so – creating long term physiological consequences. There are plenty of examples of professional dancers suffering eating disorders leading to their early death or to their long term poor health, yet maintaining professional dance careers along the way. So clearly the fact that a child is a high performer in a physical activity doesn’t stop them from being at risk.
Not all underweight children will go on to have long term health problems as adults. Not all underweight children suffer from – or go on to suffer from - eating disorders or mental illnesses. But a significant percentage do – a much much higher percentage than the general population. With ample statistics showing the increased risk, and known risk factors that are difficult to modify, how do we control the risk? I’m not sure – no-one seems to have figured that out although we’ve known about the problem for decades.
However, I feel sure that the constant praise of extreme thinness, and encouragement to achieve thinness (if for no other reason than to show off one’s abs), in an environment which is extremely competitive, in a world that increasingly values thin, cannot be a good combination for the long term health of children in the dancing community, at least statistically speaking. And I don’t think anyone should be criticized for raising this long acknowledged issue (although I appreciate that the criticism is not always eloquently expressed).
One thing I do wonder is why parents or teachers are often so confident that they can detect who is at risk and who is not. Criticism is quickly dismissed as jealousy and followed by a reassurance that the kids are happy and healthy and that their parents would clearly know if there was a problem. My experience with a few anorexics and bulimics that I have known is that they are very good at hiding their disordered eating habits from the people around them. So while defensive responses are understandable, it wouldn’t hurt anyone – and may benefit some - to learn more about the risks, focus your praise on achievements rather than body shape, maintain an open dialogue about the subject with your kids, and re-evaluate the situation constantly.
Here’s a few links to get you started:
