Identity, Social Pressure, and Body Image in the Development of Disordered Eating Among Pre-Professional Adolescent Ballet Dancers

We investigated (a)body dissatisfaction with disordered eating, and (b)ballet identity with ideal body size among 188adolescent ballet dancers. Individuals desiring smaller bodies endorsed significantly more binge eating(p=.01) and purging(p=.002)—and less muscle building(p<.001)—than those desiring larger bodies. Stronger ballet identity was correlated with having smaller ideal body size(p=.017).