After linking to Asharah’s intriguing post about weight, I could not stop thinking about weight, body size, and body image and their places in the dance world. Let me begin by saying I do not think weight or body size or shape have anything to do with dancing. I firmly believe that larger people are perfectly capable of moving their bodies, even better than their skinnier counterparts at times.
I teach belly dance to a lovely group of women right now and I have found that many of them have issues with their bodies beyond feeling like fish out of water. They not only feel awkward learning new and extremely different movements, but they also feel like they are too fat to dance. I try my best to give them encouragement, by telling them things like, “A little jiggle is great for Egyptian shimmies” and it is! But I’m finding they do not respond so positively. So I am wondering if perhaps I should just insist they are not fat and let that be the end of it.
Are we living in a world where being above average size is so shameful that I have to work even harder at my job because these girls insist on coming to class in sweatshirts? I feel like a bad teacher because I have to work so hard in order to see their movements that I cannot focus on proper form. I’m just trying to see them moving at all.
I do not consider myself skinny. I work every day to get a flatter stomach, just like all the other people with weight issues. I have, unfortunately, had run-ins with disordered thinking and body dysmorphia in the past. I still have trouble looking in the mirror at times, when I have eaten too much or have not drank enough water, and am therefore bloated. But I feel comfortable and confident enough with my body to show my stomach while dancing, as many other belly dancers are capable of. So when I meet these beautiful people who cannot come to class without covering up thoroughly, I feel like I must be doing something wrong. Either that, or the world has judged them too much for them to feel confident and – dare I say it – sexy.
I am thankful for my confidence. If you know of any ways for me to instill it in other people, please, let me know.
