Consequence

How can these bodies and unearthly expectations be met? Starvation, enormous pain, suffering, deprivation and sexual unease.  Although only one of the negative aspects of the ballerina’s life, the struggle with starvation, depravation and eating disorders to provide this ideal body type of incredibly lean and long is said to have begun in he early 1900’s with one of the the famous New York City Ballet choreographers and best male dancer’s of his time, George Balanchine. While claiming to idolize and adore his ballerinas, behind closed doors Balanchine was a merciless tyrant. Degrading the ballerinas, he denied them food, sex and domestic success. He created a whole new aesthetic ideal by not not allowing his dancers to eat anything other than that which was one step down from absolutely necessary for survival, he shunned dancers who married or had children, and to prevent the latter- he did not allow his dancers sex- unless it was with him. His look for ballerinas became iconic, and still remains true today; it is said Joseph Mazo, an American Dance Critic, that “[when] you think about dancers- long legged, slender girls who move as quickly as delight, you are thinking about Balanchine. He invented them”.

            Ballets “dirty little secret” as described by Michelle Benash, is “self induced starvation” or anorexia and it’s violent sidekick-bulimia. The use of these is ‘required’ of the ballerina

 “to conform to an idealization of womanhood that denies the very qualities that make them womanly” .

According to a study by Maite Garaigordobil and Carmen Maganto examining the possibility of links between eating disorders and sexes as well as sexism, the age group of 14-2 was most likely to develop eating disorders due to a desire to be perfect and thin with a male to female ratio of 1:9 being affected by the eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia. Males were significantly higher in their chances of being sexist at all ages. This link is possibly due to the societal expectations of the woman to be the lighter and more dependent sex, needing attention, constant direction and control and the expectation of men to be in control of the women, with an expectation of how they will look, act and talk.