“In the Land of Dance”: Unpacking Sexualization and the Wellbeing of Girls in Competitive Dance

ABSTRACT

In many dance competitions in North America, performances of sexualized choreography have become normalized. One result is that bodies of girl dancers are increasingly constructed as sexual objects. Sexual objectification is highly problematic for the development of girls’ self-identities, body image, psychological health, and overall wellbeing. Based on feminist perspectives on the body and data from feminist ethnography, this article investigates how objectification of young, female bodies in dance is reinforced through embodiment and repetition of sexualized movement and how it can negatively impact identity development and wellbeing. This research emphasizes that social-cultural processes of sexualization acting on the bodies and lives of young girls who dance should be of concern to all dance educators and privately-operated studios and suggests strategies for cultivating resistance and alternative approaches.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexualization
• competitive dance
• girls
• objectification

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. All participants signed and received a copy of an informed consent form prior to participation. In the case of minors (i.e., younger than 18 years of age), parents or legal guardians signed the consent form as well. All data were anonymized, and names are replaced with pseudonyms in the article.

Additional information

Funding

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Joseph-Armand Bombardier Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral Program.