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Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
Theatre
First Advisor
Douglas Risner
Abstract
This qualitative action research study investigates the impact of dance body ideals on thebody image perception of undergraduate dance students in the United States. The primary aim of this interpretive inquiry is to identify the contributing role of certain dance pedagogies to body image concerns and eating disturbances among post-secondary dance students. Secondary was an aim to evaluate recent changes within post-secondary dance programs in response to these experiences and to suggest pedagogical shifts for continued progress. A comprehensive review of existing research reveals the prevalence of body image issues in dance can be partially attributed to the use of traditional dance teaching methods, which reinforce gender stereotypes and gender-based body ideals. Existing research suggests that critical feminist pedagogy supports the dismantling of female dance body ideals through a more student-centered, body-neutral, and gender-affirming learning environment. Findings include combined insight from three key informants, which revealed that post-secondary dance degree programs are in a period of transition, with a recent and notable increase in the implementation of gender-affirming, structural changes to program design and pedagogy, as well as supplemental program content– such as workshops and seminars–to raise awareness and educate students about body image, nutrition, and mental wellness. Reiterated is the notion that dance teachers, in post-secondary education and beyond, can support the dismantling of female body ideals using critical feminist pedagogy in the learning environment.
Recommended Citation
Mcgovern, Lindsey, "Dismantling Harmful Female Body Ideals In Post-Secondary Dance Education" (2025). Wayne State University Theses. 999.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_theses/999