The impact of mirrors on the female dancer’s body image

Body image dissatisfaction among female dancers is well-documented within academic literature. Traditional/western dance culture relies heavily on the use of mirrors as an instructional and corrective tool. While many dancers are accustomed to training in mirrored environments, dancers have also regarded the mirror as being detrimental to how they perceive, think, and feel about their body. The objective of this study is to explore how mirrors influence body image among dancers trained in different forms of dance (e.g. ballet, highland, modern, and Irish dance). This study will be both qualitative and quantitative in nature, utilizing semi-structured, one-on-one interviews as well as the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ) developed by Thomas Cash in 2018. Following informed consent, data will be collected from eight dancers, 19 years of age or older. Interviews will be recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for themes; the MBSRQ will quantify body image satisfaction among these participants. I anticipate that dancers involved in dance forms that place greater emphasis on technique/appearance and rely heavily on mirrors will report greater body image dissatisfaction than dance forms that focus more on the feeling of movement and proprioceptive feedback. Beginning to understand the factors that dancers themselves consider being detrimental to their physical and psychological well-being is a first step towards creating a healthier dance culture. Poster submission was sponsored by Dr.Ken Anderson, (Sports Science Department) for course SPSC 4256 and was presented at the New Westminster campus on April 12, 2023, for Student Research Days 2023.