Psychological stress, negative body image, and mental health issues have increased post-pandemic, particularly among young women. However, evidence suggests that female ballet dancers – a high-risk group for eating disorders – may have developed a new, more positive perception of the 'ballerina body' during this period. We assembled a 128-item online survey on REDCap that included The Body Uneasiness Test (BUT), Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), and Cov-19 QoL. We aimed to explore the eating habits, body image, and overall wellness of a sample of 641 female ballet dancers, aged 18–30. Results indicated that post-lockdown, dancers reported reduced preoccupation with dieting, weight, and body image disturbances. However, they also described heightened feelings of hopelessness, insecurity, and difficulty forming interpersonal relationships. Overall, ballerinas report an improvement in body image but a worsening of mental health following the Covid-19 pandemic. These findings underscore the need for dance institutions to prioritize psychological support alongside physical training. Ballet schools and companies may benefit from integrating structured recovery periods, open dialogue around mental health, and targeted support for younger or less experienced dancers. More broadly, this study calls for holistic, trauma-informed strategies when working with high-risk populations, and invites future research into sustainable models of well-being in elite performance settings.
Kim et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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