The Wild Abandon of Women Who Love Themselves.
I’m not a disordered eater nor am I a ballet dancer (although I don’t mind pretending I am in the kitchen) but today an article about a recent controversy regarding a New York Times critic and a NYC ballerina’s weight caught my eye. In a recent review, Alastair Macaulay said, “Jenifer Ringer, as the Sugar Plum Fairy, looked as if she’d eaten one sugar plum too many; and Jared Angle, as the Cavalier, seems to have been sampling half the Sweet realm.”
Rather than talk about what was an insensitive (and superficial in regards to art) comment. It was. Or talk about how Jenifer Ringer is not fat. She’s not. I’d like to talk about Macaulay’s and Ringer’s follow up comments and how they relate to us.
A few days later Macaulay followed up by saying, “If you want to make your appearance irrelevant to criticism, do not choose ballet as a career. The body in ballet becomes a subject of the keenest observation and the most intense discussion. I am severe — but ballet, as dancers know, is more so.”
So apparently, he thinks since she has chosen to be a dancer she has chosen to put herself in a position to have her appearance criticized.
It’s easy to point the finger at Macaulay. I do.
But then I wonder if I’m guilty of the same thing. Especially when it comes to critiquing myself as a fitness trainer , as a food/fitness blogger, and as a woman. (Even though I don’t have much of a choice regarding the latter.)
Ever since I started blogging about health and fitness I’ve felt pressure, albeit self imposed pressure, to maintain a certain physical standard . While my standard is far from the standard of a ballet dancer, it is, still a standard nonetheless. Thankfully, I’ve embraced and learned to love (most of the time) a lifestyle that makes maintaining my current level of fitness and body composition relatively easy. However, I wouldn’t be being honest if I said I haven’t had days where I felt like I’ve ate one protein bar too many and feel like a sham of a blogger because of it.
However, I choose to take the follow up comments of Jenifer Ringer to heart. On the Today show, she responded with grace and beauty, not unlike her art, saying, “We (The NYC Ballet) have every body type you can imagine. We have tall, we have petite, we have athletic, we have womanly, we have waif-like, we have every body type out there, and they can all dance like crazy and they’re all gorgeous.”
I’d like to expand on what she said to include all women of all types. We are all gorgeous and we can all dance like crazy, maybe not with the grace of a New City Ballet dancer, but with the wild abandon of women who love themselves.
(What do you think? We could change Macaulay’s statement to fit variety of professions that, like dance, involve but are certainly not limited to the superficial. “If you want to make your appearance irrelevant to criticism, do not choose _______ as a career.” Aesthetician. Hair stylist. Actress. Personal trainer. Cosmetic surgeon. Model. Dietician. Make up artist. Fashion designer. Fitness blogger. (In my case career would be “hobby”.) Fill in the blank. Do any on you have professions or hobbies where you feel you might be judged by appearance?
Did anyone else read this article and wonder why Macaulay’s comment about Jared Angle didn’t gain half the attention?
Are you your own worst critic? If so what are you doing to quiet that critics voice?
Please don’t forget to read my review of The Great Fitness Experiment book and leave a comment to win your own copy!
Have a fabulous day and don’t forget to dance with abandon.
Updated to add: Unbeknownst to me, my friend Deb, from Smoothie Girl Eats Too did a post on the same topic today. (Great minds think alike.) Hop on over to her site for more thoughts on “Al” and to see what she’s getting her cat for Christmas!
Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn
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I think most people are guilty of self criticism. This reminds me of that sex and the city episode where carrie gets reviewed by the ny times’ harshest book critic. Anyhow, in the end, carrie realizes that carrie is carrie’s worst critic. I still struggle with eating issues, but I’m no longer emaciated so I feel like I’m a “failed former anorexic”. Its weird and I feel people dont believe me when I tell them I used to be anorexic. Not that I’m overweight by any means now, but I am not the “waif” I used to be.
I’ve never seen Sex in the City. (I know, I live under a rock. I’m very “white” since I don’t have tv. 😉 He he!)
“A failed former anorexic”, wow, I’ve never heard that term. It’s quite disturbing and it’s so unfortunate that our culture tends to see only the outside. I’m very happy to hear you are no longer emaciated and on the path to healing. (((hugs)))
I am a dietitian and do feel that sort of pressure, self-imposed or otherwise, that I am expected to look a certain way as part of my profession, but perhaps worse is that I do find myself judging others in the health profession for not holding themselves to the standard in my mind. Not that my standard is at what is apparently the ballet dancer standard! Great post.
Thank you for sharing such an honest comment. It’s hard because while “being judgmental” (you aren’t coming across as judgmental but I understand what you are saying) is not a lovely trait neither is hypocrisy in the case of people preaching one thing but doing another. I can imagine it would be a fine line to walk at times.
I don’t think it even has anything to do with being a ballerina, a trainer, etc… I feel that women are criticized by the media no matter what they’re occupation. You need to be a perfect mother, the perfect career woman and have the perfect body all at the same time. Women are held to an impossible standard by society and by themselves. All we can do is try to be the best woman we can be for OURSELVES.
Amen. The standards that are set for women in our culture and by ourselves which is typically (not always) related to the cultural standards are ridiculously high. I happen to think it’s all comes down to consumerism but I could be wrong as I frequently am.
I do think there are professions that place an even HIGHER standard on women in regards to appearance.
I could not have said it better. I do feel pressure on the blogging front (which I guess is my fault since I started my blog ha), but I totally feel it about being a mom, a working woman . . . it’s very hard to balance but at the same time, you feel like you have to be super woman/mom/chef/wife!
I don’t think my future career as a college professor holds my appearance to the same standards.
But I do feel like that even while just lifting weights. Like if I am in the weight room, I have to look the part.
You do with those guns! 😉
I think the grander problem is that it’s almost 2011 and yet critics want to perpetuate the belief that if you choose that career then you’ve opened yourself up to scrutiny. They are critics and need the job security, but, really, isn’t his job to critique her performance instead of her body, which is a low, cheap blow in anybody’s book? As far as I’m concerned, she’s gorgeous and he sucks at his job.
Great point and one I referenced “and superficial in regards to art” but didn’t feel I had the knowledge to tackle that post in a way that would do it justice. Thank you for bringing it up!!!!
“I’d like to expand on what she said to include all women of all types. We are all gorgeous and we can all dance like crazy, maybe not with the grace of a New City Ballet dancer, but with the wild abandon of women who love themselves.” This line made me happy-sniffly! Dancing with abandon over here in metro Detroit!
😀 Dance away beautiful one!
Jenifer Ringer is nowhere near fat! She has a healthy and beautiful body and like she said – dances like crazy! Even if you’re on display as a dancer, if your amazingly talented, size should not matter. The NYC critic needs to focus more on the art and keep his judgmental personal feelings to himself.
I celebrate my healthy happy size. Sure I go up 5lb or down 5lb, but my body is comfortable just how it is.
Amen! Love your attitude!
Hee brilliant minds indeed- and thanks for the linkage. I just linked you back. Tag you’re it
Well, I think that society expects certain professions to be skinny and ballet dancers have fallen into that realm. As have models. I would feel pressure if I was an RD or a PT. I don’t feel that much pressure being a healthy living blogger. Really if I’m honest, all of the pressure comes from within me. So yes, I’m probably my own worst critic.
I think that Al was insensitive. someone left a great comment on my post and that is that he should be judging her dancing as expression, rather than looking at her body and judging. BTW, Derek googled him and there is some bad shizz in his past. He was arrested/accused (falsely) of being a pedophile and also there was a lengthy interview that I didn’t have the patience to read about sexuality and being a theater critic. It seemed weird.
Great post, Jenn- thanks- I’m glad you posted on the topic.
PS I’m getting a tutu for Meow Cow.
Ha!! True true!!! Thanks for the link.
Absolutely he should be judging her on his dancing and not her body. I *assume* he would argue that the two are inseparable although I disagree. I really liked what Carbzilla said about it being 2011. Seems like the critics could be more in line with the times.
I can just imagine Meow Cow’s expression if he had to wear a tutu!! He he!
Great post! So interesting.
My first moment of body-hate came from a ballet instructor. I loved to dance, but at the age of 8 I was told by my instructor that I would need to lose weight if I wanted to dance.
Needless to say I quit and was always to afraid to try any dance or sports until I was in college.
If looks didn’t matter, I would have stopped putting off getting my spin instructor certification and would be teaching by now.
I think this may be the best post title I have ever read! I want it to be a whole book! And I love how you deconstructed MaCaulay’s ridic assertion. I do sometimes feel judged about my body because of my blog but that’s generally from random trolls and it’s not hard to ignore thanks to all the body-positive loving and comments I get from my readers and fellow bloggers!
As an artist I’ve learned that art critics are often a joke. Perhaps the same with ego centric dance critics.
Dance critic in the paper is no better than me, or the Ballerina, for what he’s shown.
on a Painfully personal note: this one ballet teacher in high school, whose name brings me tho a near psychotic meltdown, threw The seeds of my e. d…..so, F. u ballet critics and teachers.
I’m so sorry about your ballet teacher. My dream is that someday we will live in a country that celebrates body diversity. I think we will all be better off. (((hugs)))