explaining the ballet trend in fashion (balletcore) 

This is such a good observation!

OH lord trueee

Which is hilarious, because there are definitely some very crass ballerinas out there.

so true!!

Sounds like modern day misogyny

I don't think it's vapid at all! It's like you're giving a gift to your younger self- that which you were denied 💚💃🏾

Don't feel ashamed of this!!! It's not vapid at all, plenty of people do this with other things, too--as soon as I had a steady career, I bought myself a Coach bag because it was something I always felt was out of reach. People do this with a variety of experiences and products.

No, it's not vapid! Being happy to do or have something you previously couldn't is such a basic impulse no one needs it explained. And of course something socially idealized feels to good to have- it's an ideal! You've made it! Go do something stereotypically feminine that women get shamed for, have a frou-frou coffee drink or watch a """""chick flick""""" or read a romance novel. Yes, you deserve it.

I can do ballet as adult??? I am 19 and this has been my wish for decade. Is training hard, how far do they push you?

im an 18 year old girl who just started ballet in college upon finally having access to it as well... relatable!!

Yeah thinness is starting to become an “accessory” again… meaning these aesthetics are only desirable on thin bodies

YES. You hope when fashions repeat they'll get more inclusive, but no. Fuck no, unfortunately

It’s sickening to me that any body type is a trend.

@@m_a_k_e_n_n_a That's why I cheer on Jessica Blair for wearing low riders with her stomach.

@@m_a_k_e_n_n_a glad us skinny girls seen as pretty again. Ive always been flat and we are often seen as “men”

yes yes yes!! even the studio where I take classes is struggling to get teen/adult enrolments, and it hurts to see everybody romanticizing ballet like this but not even seeing a show or taking a class

I see what you're saying and hold space for your sentiments. I also think it's important to note here though that these trends might be trends because the person doing ballet at home doesn't need much money to get started. I like your solution, but feel like it's not applicable to the majority of working class people who are just trying to pay those bills right now

While I get the sentiment, I also sense a bit of gatekeeping. It reminds me of asking girls "how many songs can you name" when they wear band tees.

thisss ^^ and if you want to do ballet can’t afford it because it is so expensive sometimes you can find some amazing books and cheap online courses that altho aren’t necessarily as good as an irl class, if its by a proper ballet company then it can be really beneficial ive been dancing for 12 ish years i think and in covid all our classes moved to zoom, and because of that i often did some online courses as an extra and i found that really helpful

^^^!!!!!!

Agreed

you said it!!!

I was looking for this comment

literally. it’s shallow and almost insulting tbh

As a ballett dancer with an eating disorder....... It absolutly is

AND black swan’s whole thing was about how bad the ballet industry is, it’s literally a thriller i hate the sensationalism of the film and just ballet in general, i think that black swan being romanticised is just foreshadowing the comeback of the romanticisation of EDs and the tumblr girl

@@am-zj4mq yup exactly. I did ballet for most of my life and struggled with an ed not even knowing what it was… it’s sad seeing the trend cycles coming back and it impacting our youth once again. when will we learn?

i am a Ballet dancer too, and i think the weirdest thing about this is that that is ACTUALLY the things we wear, but it is being done as none dancers.............

@@savspencer7695 i thought that we were finally past the romanticisation of eds and the "heroin-chic" look because of this whole body positivy movement (even though it does have it's problems) but it seems like we are repeating the same cycle again, like we didn't learn anything from it all

@@mirarie3391 I genuinely kind of feel excluded from my own damn hobby by the gatekeeping balletcore people. I am a fat woman, and I have danced modern ballet and jazz ballet since I was 6. And I might as well not exist to these types. I wonder if they would scoff at me if I wear the stuff I usually wear in the studio if they saw me, you know?

whats wrong with that? isnt america in an obesity epidemic?

@@tallulahlethalinjection6490 thinness as in disorded eating type of thin. too thin to be safe and focusing on this ideal of being skinny until it consumes you type of thin.

@@lochettes9791 I can’t wait until we move past this trend… I dont know a single feminine raised person who hasn’t had problems with food and their body

@@tallulahlethalinjection6490 health and weight shouldn't be conflated and grouped together. Let ppl be comfortable in their body regardless of weight in peace dammit

@@lunos5026 i dont know a single human who has never had problems with food and their body...

I mean, I am sooo into the coquette aesthetic, but as much as I'm not romanticizing pedophilia, I still find it a way to get closer to the girly childhood I was not allowed to have. Wearing the ruffly White dresses, satin headbands, bow pins and coating my room in plushes and ethereal images of princesses and such, idolizing cinderella and listening to 50s music. It all just takes me back to when I was 10 or 9 and I wished I could do these things but wasn't allowed to because I was too stuck up in the idea that I "needed to be not like other girls".. Idk, personally I love the coquette aesthetic

if i'm not wrong i think coquette and nymphet are two different aesthetics? very similar but if i had to explain it, nymphet feels like summer, coquette feels like spring

@@dollieeatstoomuch5916 aesthetically I love coquette too, but I think it has been a way of reclaiming the nymphet aesthetic and trying to remove the bad connotations from it. The nymphet aesthetic from about 10 years ago was very blatantly about catering to men (from what I remember, at least there was a male focus in it) and although coquette is similar it seems to be more about embracing girlhood for its own sake

@@flamingmonkeyheads no, thay aren't coquette/nymphet are used interchangeably however, there are to different subsets the Americana Coquette and the Doll Coquette

@@flamingmonkeyheads it was born out of the nymphette aesthetic. They are different in that sense, but it’s important to remember that one was born out of the other.

basically the basic girl lol

The body romper things also kinda reminded me of it. Tight around the arms, covering the crotch but not always the hips.

Literally the mid 2000’s 😂 ballet flats, 3/4 length leggings, RaRa skirts and layering like 3 different tank tops, super 80’s but also very ballerina

And the tutus back in scene

Yeah. In a lot of ways balletcore seems to be just the french girl aesthetic + ballet

Yes! Most dancers I know don't want to wear black and pink because it's the limiting uniform we all had to wear as kids. The people in these very clean, boring outfits look like little kids playing dress up to me, not actual dancers. That's not to say they can enjoy wearing it or feel good in it, but it doesn't read "I just got out of class and now I'm running errands".

Now that you bring it up, it's definitely true that when I've watched behind-the-scenes videos from ballet companies, the dancers don't wear those colors. There's a lot of plum, teal, sky blue, and hot pink. Mostly the same sorts of colors that are trendy in athleisure wear.

and lets be honest at least 80% of the girls showing off ballet inspired clothing, have photo shopped there pictures, to be even thinner and younger.

yes thank you!! where’s the trash bag pants, obnoxious-in-the-best-way prints, and puffy vests on top of like 4 layers of clothing?

If I wanna wear fucking ballet slipper I will . If Amy Winehouse wore than shall should I

@@Sabrina-teenage-witch omg she isnt talking about regular ballet shoes. shes talking about points shoes. as in the shoes they us to balance one their toes. its extremely dangerous to use them if you dont have proper training. dont do it.

@@Sabrina-teenage-witch Pointe shoes and ballet shoes are not the same thing 🙃. Pointe shoes without training will RUIN your feet.

@@Sabrina-teenage-witch babe she meant pointe shoes not ballet slippers, theyre different things

👏 👏 👏 My stepmother is in the Ukraine and she took my dad to a large ballet when he came out to see her, I’m ashamed I don’t know the theater name. But the pictures were just… jaw dropping. We were talking about me going out there to visit and to see the ballet, but it looks like that may never happen now. Please support your local arts, and please help keep ballet and dance in schools if it’s still offered!

this might sound weird but what studio? i grew up dancing in the studio at marietta square but i’d love to know what studio you’re talking abt!

@@sewerwolvez5202 Yeah, when I originally went it was Studio Dionne, but they changed the name in the last few years I was there to Atlanta Dance and Music Academy, and it's part of the CityDance group.

Cant agree more; i have been dancing for more than a decade but quitted because i cannot stand the toxic expectations from my parents who would say shit like "if you didnt reach xx pounds you will not go to thhis rehersal/performance because there are no point for fats girls to go ( i weigh 54kg and is 166cm) and it just reached the point where i decided my passion for ballet cannot exceed the mental stress from all the toxic talks. The sentence that says "aesthetics to only be white and thin girls" really voiced my thoughts out when i dont know how to put it

Exactly, Cuban ballet is breathtaking for example and that was achieved through sheer love for the art instead of seeking profit

Yeah i’ve always heard ”les petits rats de l’opéra ” and thouht it was a cute rhyme

:0mg

in english its ballet rats

People always told me that Petit rat refers to the sound done by all the small dancers on training when they are on pointe and since they were not in the main stage to train It sounded like small mouse or rats on the above or in the wall since they were so delicate + the rhyme of course

@@ameliefnlt yeah it's what I've been told too !

I also agree!! I've been in ballet for around about a decade and it's definitely not as pretty as it seems. Lots of mental health problems have stemmed from it and although the art of it is beautiful and I've made many friends along the way, it's a competitive and brutal industry just like any other and the romantisisation of it is very wrong.

disagree with the usage of ghostly i'd say quite the opposite: "angel-like"

As a ballet dancer myself, I could have not agreed more. It’s a bit frustrating to see so many people romanticize ballet, and our hard work that we put into this art form. I’m happy that ballet is getting more recognition it deserves, but people really needs to stop using our hours of work we spend, as a trend for something they could wear and romanticize. With eating disorders and our mental health being tarnished. Just for someone who has 0 to none experience in ballet to buy some pointe shoes and call themselves a ballerina. I know I don’t put hours of work everyday, having my feet bruised 24/7, for someone to just see this all as a trend. Ballet is hard work, it isn’t easy whatsoever, but it could also be amazing at the same time if you work for it.

@@kaylituh i agree ! i wanted to use ghostly because the “white act” in Giselle where the dancers are in white costumes to imitate spirts. And the fact that ballet was originally made for pale/white people, but angel- like could work too!

@@liasharee that makes sense :)

Ngl, I would prefer tiger's eye than the phrase "brown diamond".

i absolutely second this! and if they do acknowledge the difficult parts of ballet, they make it aesthetic and glamorize it rather than recognizing it as unhealthy. similar to how tumblr used to romanticize s/h and eds. the other problem is they will post videos/pictures of skinny white girls (some not even in ballet attire or environment) and put it under ballet aesthetic, which further puts across an already warped image to the public of what ballet dancers are “supposed” to look like. and as someone who’s been in it for years, the ballet world is evolving (slowly) and trying to get away from these ideals, because they are extremely damaging and someone’s value as a dancer does not come from their initial appearance. so to have tiktokers come in and reinforce what we’ve been trying to stop for years (whether intentionally or not) it is a bit frustrating :/

Ballet for 10 years over here! Totally agree with you too. Honestly had no idea this was even a thing. There is so much more to ballet than just an aesthetic... Besides there are so many off duty ballet looks that look nothing like this...

I love people hopping on this but girls thinner than me apparently look more like a ballerina than I, a dancer

Ballet core was super popular in 2012. It was one of the looks I wore to school. It ain’t new. Btw, I wish I could work out like a ballerina 🩰

@@user-hc2tu7ul7j never too late to start, even if you’re never going to go on pointe ballet still a good way to stay active and have fun.

welcome to the tik tok era

microdtrends will be the death of us fr

there really are new ones every week, don't even know how

That can’t possibly be sustainable for the environment and our sanity.

I hate when people say core

and a lot of people dont even realy care about ballet and just the perception and thoght of ballet for the aesthetic

yes! sometimes it's really frustrating to see people in this "aesthetic" when the most athletic thing they do is pose in front of a mirror. not only does it diminish the hard work dancers, especially ballerinas, put into everyday training, but also encourages a body type that is sometimes unattainable for dancers due to the gain of muscle mass, which of course is the reason for the outstanding amount of eds amongst high level dancers

Fashion is totally cool by me, but romanticizing problematic issues is not cool. It makes me glad I'm a modern dancer, which has a very opposite history in comparison to ballet in how open it is to people of color like myself or with curvy body types (also like myself). It's definitely a fine line that kids tread when they don't have a legitimate understanding of something.

White people are allowed to enjoy things without including non-whites. If you think that they don't, you're by definition racist.

no because like as a non-dancer that whole thing seems like the absolute lest of the issues here… like there’s straight up racism and pronation eating disorders connected with the aesthetic and the actual career so it feels weirdly scapegoaty to say ‘wearing the athletic wear as an aesthetic devalues the work’ also why doesn’t this apply to all athletic wear? like all sports involve extreme training yet i don’t see professional baseball players saying wearing baseball hats is disrespectful to them. like seriously the things that actually harm people are the racism and promotion of eating disorders and we should focus on that when critiquing the aesthetic or career or literally anything ever even not related to ballet and fashion

@@the_devil4676 yep it's basically a non-issue

I am also a dancer and I had never heard this argument before. Specifically pancake tutus can signify a level of training and expertise. So potentially these should be left to dancers. But at the same time, that is the smallest issue with this trend. Additionally, lots of people wear tutus and it has never offended me.

@@the_devil4676 beautifully said

@Kisna Yela ♋️ no one cares

it's crazy the way male dancers are looked down upon by other men but put on a pedestal in the dance world. i'm ftm and have been dancing since long before my transition and the difference in treatment is unreal

The fact that there is a stigma against men for dancing is so mind-blowing when you now the history and the fact that it started off with male dancers!!! Sending love and support to a fellow dancer ✨💖

Nice of you to write that more men should dance it's a beautiful art from.

youre right and i hate it

Yeah this has been my thought process about the whole ~ballet aesthetic~ like it's really easy to use it to justify self destructive behaviors. Plus it's stereotypical and does nothing to help people who actually do or want to do ballet

@@unwieldypuffin the people who dont dance and use it as an aesthetic annoy me the most, as someone who has been dancing for 13 years, and then they just..use our pain as an aesthetic??

I am really happy for you that you find reward for the hard work in your performance! I think it is extremely interesting as an art form, and ... really bad to see it as an aesthetic only, because its peoples lives and real lifestyles, which are just so so much more complex

@@gingamingayoz7903 don't dance if you hate it. You don't get to be pissed people dress a certain way. You're not important in strangers' lives.

this was my first thought too

THISS We can revert to toxic/ hegemonic standards SO fast

agreed. it feels very similar to the lizzy grant/coquette/waifcore aesthetic i've come across with increasing frequency on tumblr, and the overwhelming fixation on paleness and thinness worries the hell out of me. it really just feels like thinspo with a new coat of paint.

this is pretty true tbh. i've been dancing since i was 3 and gladly went to a very diverse dancing school with non-white and plus sized girls, however as someone who is neither skinny nor plus sized and fell in the middle, i was really able to pick up on the favouritism the skinny tall girls received and how overlooked the bigger girls at the school were. it's really sad to see- but i have hope that these 'skinnny, tall and white' expectations for ballerinas can eventually be abolished and ballet can be appreciated for the art and beauty of it- not the size or skin colour of the person performing it.

@@ecstasy5022 They were talking about the whiteness of balletcore, not ballet.

It is nice to hear that you see the positive, ie more people getting into these beautiful art forms thanks to fashion and aesthetics. Thank you for resisting the urge to gatekeep!

Former dancer and classical music lover here and happy we have the same thought. Thankfully I'm not the gatekeeping type. I personally feel relieved that classical music reaches young gens esp millenials and gen z with aesthetics like balletcore, dark & light academia, cottagecore, royalty-core etc. Check out the channel HalidonMusic. They compiled special playlists for these aesthetics, which strengthens the vibes of each of them and gives you the feels! 😍😍

I’m a ballet dancer too, and I completely agree! There are so many problems with the ballet world but the feeling of dancing and the feeling of watching ballet is like no other.

former dancer here and I COMPLETELY AGREE! i'm actually glad pointe shoe makers are making colored pointe shoes for POC ballerinas✨though there are a lot of issues concerning ballet, we can still see the positive side of it all!

This!!! Is so true you worded it so well!!!

You worded this so well wow i didnt know a lot thanks for the insight, and also yeah im happy the ballet word is diversifying and yeah i noticed that most sports like ballet which are romanticised often have very problematic pasts and things eg gymnastics, figure skating, and while im happy that its getting better in these spaces for athletes and dancers i think people should see these sports beyond its aesthetic value cuz romanticisation can lead to issues like people not wanting to confront the problematic aspects of their idealised “escapist” aesthetic. The problem with representation of these issues is that people want it to be aesthetic thats the problem with the commodification of everything because you now cant find a movie thats like serious that isnt an aesthetic that isnt a whole documentary like black swan is a serious movie about suffering and some people are like uh huh aesthetic, nothing wrong with that but i think it erases the conversation we couldve had around competitive sport being so grueling plus the body expectations to just oooo pretty suffering artist

aww rhats actually really cute. i could totally see that title being given to small ballerinas :(

kinda funny that that was probably the inspiration for Angelina Ballerina

Ty! I was actually very curious about where the term came from and what it meant.

Agreed. As someone who did ballet in France (shortly) and had lots of ballet dancer friends there as a child, it is in no way classist. A "petit rat" or "rat de l'opéra" is a very endearing term and it is also used in children's books in France. No negative connotations at all.

The term is still used to refer to the youngest dancers at my ballet school!

I usually think they are incredibly strong. The tights and tutu show off their amazing leg muscles.

it’s sad these arts plus fashion trends are so intertwined with ed culture. i love coquette’s, dollette/doelette fashion and the dainty look but it’s so hard to find the aesthetic without so many dark themes tied into it. even harder to find someone who looks like me when looking through tags/social media etc.

@@lochettes9791 definetely. just trying to look through dollette pinterest boards without seeing ed stuff can be so hard, and the community has a real problem with racism and fatphobia, idolizing this idea of dainty skinny white girls. it's sad, considering the fashion itself is so pretty. During ed recovery i was in a coquette community and the times it almost caused a relapse are countless. I really hope that sooner or later we start to see more diversity in dollete fashion and a less closeminded approach to black people and people who aren't size 0

stan you stan you - a Asian ballet dancer

I know and it's really sad to see because ballet is not all about the aesthetic to most dancers, it's about focusing on the actual art form which is dance not romanticizing ed's which is something a lot of dancers actually struggle with and don't usually find cool. There's nothing wrong with ballet being an aesthetic as long as the main part of ballet is captured within it which is the dancing, hard work, and dedication put in along with other parts of it.

Smoking hasn’t been a norm for ballet dancers since the 80’s, 90’s latest.

I 1000% agree.. I have a feeling that the trend of smoking cigarettes is going to have a comeback - in women especially. And I gotta say it’s shocking because once in a while I do catch myself thinking that smoking can make you look more elegant which I’m aware of is total bullshit because in the end lung or other cancer, terrible skin that ages faster and will eventually make you look like a leather handbag as well as bad teeth and a terrible breath really fuckin don’t. So we really need to stop romanticising that shit

I remember one summer intensive I took, the company dancers wouldn't really eat anything on breaks! They'd smoke cigarettes and drink a can of diet coke, which to me was crazy because dancing takes so much energy. I'm glad I saw the negative sides of the art (EDs, fat shaming, unrealistic body standards) back then and never fell into that side. (Although I do acknowledge it was bc I mainly had the waif body type back then and was praised for it. A few of my peers who did not fit that ideal definitely got fat shamed by our teacher.... we weren't even 16!)

the smoking aesthetic was the reason i started smoking when i was 14 and i’m very much addicted now

@@uma3203 I'm so sorry, that's terrible. I hope your doing well.

Im black french girl and used to do ballet from age 4 to age 14. I quit because of how racist the environment was, it was and still is my biggest regret but I really could not bear it anymore. I was the only black girl in my class and one of the three black girls in the whole school.

Not sure how the algorithm on comments work, but I respond so more people see this.

Is that a goat with sunglasses in your profile picture?!

Definitely

So sorry to hear you’re experiencing this :(

THIS

I always feel very empowered when I do things that I wasn't allowed to do when I was younger. I recommend you to try ballet classes now :)

@@ennaarts I should! Thank you 😊

Same with me! I couldn’t go to classes but I watched ballet programs and did the beginning poses constantly!

Should have quit being chubby then. When you really want something, you take the initiative.

There is definitely a toxic side too ballet but it's so much more than all the stereotyping and hope others can participate in the more positive side of this art form ✨💖 that being said it's kinda funny to see ppl in rehearsal attire for aesthetics rather than for the intended purpose for movement, sweat and avoiding injuries.

I love to be a ballerina and there's also so many good sides in it (even tough my mental health is shattering). But l wouldn't ever wear my sportwears outside of the class.😅 Also half of them are black, not pink.

This is what I’ve been thinking as well :/ Which is so exhausting to say the least

i meannn, "pro-instert an ed associated word" never died. It's very much happening everywhere on the internet, just hidden. I don't have an ed but I'm interested in the topic (not in getting sick, just exploring the whole culture of it as an observer) and these communities are huge

@@jagoda3714 This is true, personally I mean within mainstream/popular culture

ikr, i've accidentally stumbled upon pro-ana content while going through these kinda posts way too many times. i know no one owes me trigger warnings, but before i got into this trend it was much harder to come across it and most ED accounts on ig were private. guess i just have to be careful

Well yeah, being skinny and being curvy are just gonna keeping taking turns being trendy

it's so strange 💀 especially as someone who has that body type, i'm insecure that this is how others view me, like someone referring to my body as childlike when i'm a 20 yo woman is just ew

Oh god I hope young girls aren’t buying her nonsense.

i think i know exactly who ur talking about i JUST saw a screencap of that tiktok on twitter 💀

yikes.jpg

When I was 21, a bunch of 12 year old boys thought I was one of them, and someone at a store asked if I was turning 16 when I was buying tacos for a birthday party. But I leaned into it a different way, I've always been more of a tomboy, so I went with it, and made my own style that doesn't fit women's fashion, but also doesn't make me more childish. Just more me.

these trends also predominantly highlight and uplift white, upper class women.

Seriously.I knew skinny/curvy go in-out of trend in cycles, but seeing it with my own eyes is so strange.

So true! I myself do enjoy a very feminine style and like the ballet core aesthetic but I’ll admit I’ve notice how the body beauty standards are changing again! I’ve also noticed that lots of people that enjoy this very feminine aesthetic tend to romanticise Ed’s and unhealthy habits like smoking and drugs and only praise thin bodies. those people ruin the aesthetic for everyone else. I can’t imagine how damaging it is for others who want to take part in this aesthetic but feel like they can’t because they aren’t thin enough :/

Tumblr romanticism has moved to tiktok , it never left , it just moved platforms

i was worried too about the new upcoming trends of the past like skinny, white girls.. but I still have some hope. The fashion is becoming more inclusive and I wish this path will continue as the trends will go by.

Thank you! There are so many ballerinas in the comments who act as if it were appropriation of their clothes and culture and... It's just clothes? Very nice clothes for that matter? Very pretty, feminine, not exactly ballerina, but like... The aesthetics. And even though we should acknowledge the horrors of the industry, some of the commentators are just... Trying to gatekeep it?

When did that curvy thing happen, cause I kinda missed it?😅🤔 I mean, I know the hourglass shape has been it for a while now, but I feel like the skinny thing never actually stopped during that

Everyone can be lean .We just have different body shape but we all can control our weight even if you are on meds or had an accident just train the rest that you can move ,even someone in a wheelchair can loose weight .Just look at wheelchair marathon ! We live in a lazy /consumerism society that don't want to take responsibility for themselves. Disable people can be lean and shredded and do the Olympic even if their bodies is different . people has no excuses .We literally can have custom groceries with your own nutritional needs deliver to our door step plus we have access to the internet for healthy information . It laziness and lack of discipline that we have an obese pandemic not because they have "health problems " that such a shitty excuse my mom has heart problem she still move! not moving at all and making herself bed bound is more dangerous then having to exercise even with a heart condition .My child is disable too and her friends are all healthy weight they are lean been skinny fat is not healthy .Adults saying that they cant are full of shit!

@@funnygaming2672 yk that eating disorders exist right? Also being skinny isn’t healthier being medium size is 🤣

I have huge feet. Whenever someone comments on it I say in a joking or sweet tone "Yeah, makes it easier to kick someone's ass" and smile.

I am a dancer with really wide feet. I say it gives me better balance! I'm so sorry you experienced this. I hope you can reassociate joy with dance & movement

Its fucking mean. Try ballet again love 💖

i was 12 when my russian classical ballet teacher told me i was fat (i was 90 pounds) and that my personality was horrendous and i was the most annoying person she had ever met for talking even though i was not talking 🙂 ballet is fun!

a similar thing happened to me actually, it weren’t my weight or feet but my glasses.As a young girl I had extremely bad eyesight (now at 21 still have but not as bad as when I was younger). I literally couldn’t see further than about 5 meters without glasses, couldn’t even draw a straight line on the paper or predict distances and stuff. (Actually once had a terrible accident at an indoor playground because of that, wasn’t wearing glasses and crashed into another kid which lead to me biting a hole through my lip but that’s another story). I had to wear my glasses as much as possible so my eyesight had a chance of improvement. But then when we were about to have our first stage experience (with Flight of the Bumblebee of course 😍), like 1 week before the performance my ballet teacher told my mum I was „of course forbidden to wear glasses for the performance“ my mum was like wtf and told her that I needed my glasses to .. well see decently and that I wouldn’t be able to participate without because I wouldn’t be able to see where I or the other girls were going. So my mum of course insisted that I would be wearing my glasses but my teacher told her that she would rather have me not performing than me performing with glasses because „a prima ballerina simply doesn’t wear glasses“.. we were maybe 5 or 6 years old .. like come on my mum was more pissed than any mum at dance mums ever 😂 but she kept her cool.. I wasn’t present when my mum had that talk with her and my teacher was always really really nice to us but after that situation(and literally because she hated every other mum and kid there lol) my mum did try and in the end managed to „talk me out of ballet“ I mean I can understand since back then I was also belly dancing and horse riding and swimming and my mum started feeling how stressed I was with the whole ballet situation because the whole atmosphere was already very competitive and very toxic and even though I enjoyed all of these activities it was a little much in general so one day she was like „you gotta chose one that you want to stop doing“. Today I gotta say I’m sometimes „mad“ that she talked me out of it because ballet is beautiful and I wish I could dance like that.. that little 6 year old girl is still inside me ngl but it was probably for the best because first of all I was hella ugly during pre- puberty and puberty with acne bullying etc and already had low self esteem and ballet would’ve probably given me the rest with all the girls there bullying me as well, probably even worse than at school so well I guess I would’ve ended up with an ED or would’ve practiced self harm or would’ve gotten into drugs etc soo yeah.. business is so toxic, sorry not sorry even tho it looks beautiful and I’m sometimes kinda jealous and wish I could be a ballerina 🩰

I completely agree on the cottagecore thing. Everyone was saying "I just want to sell everything and live in a cottage in the woods" but only want to if the cottage has running water, Wi-Fi and a Whole Foods near by. My cousin owns her own land and her hands are pretty rough from all the upkeep she does and work tending to the animals.

Definitely, as a ballet dancer it does feel a little like the hard work and training we do is being devalued by this 'trend', I don't want to sound like I'm gatekeeping but I hope it ends soon lol. Especially because of the issues surrounding ballet like EDs/racism/gender roles etc. And I totally agree about the cottagecore aesthetic. I've never seen anyone talk about that online before. It's like on social media we have an obsession with romanticising things and seeing only the pretty, edited version of them.

yeah same. i for sure like it when ballet gets popularity but it's such a complicated art form that sometimes it leads into really interesting results xdd

I think it's funny to see all the leg-warmers and layering for aesthetics, when we do it, it's more for comfort and avoiding injuries during classes/practice and we often end up taking them off by the end of the class lol like I never intentionally chose my outfit for class because it was about what was clean (bcuz damn we go thru so much clothes with all that sweating 💦) and comfortable to move in

this is so TRUEEE. i used to hide the fact i did do ballet but nowww... meh

@@lila-bp9fl yes, this hobby was worth keeping x)

Go for it!! Taking an adult ballet class is fun, you'll meet people who have never taken a dance class in thier life to experienced dancers wanting to try something new. I recommend a community College for beg. Ballet. Ps. A friend of mine started when she was in her early 40s and is still taking classes

Please go for it! I did ballet for a while in college (so started in my 20's; moved to another dance genre after... but not the point here!) and I had the great privilege of having an inspiring classmate who started ballet IN HIS 70's :) He really showed me that it's never too late to start something you want to try. I hope you have an absolute blast with a fun teacher and friendly classmates ♡

There are tons of adult ballet classes in many regions. Also there are tons of classes from beginner to advanced on youtube and other platforms. I sometimes follow along with Kathryn Morgan, Lazy Dancer Tips, Move with Nicole, and Madfit when I can't make it to an in person class and want to work on building strength or want to do a more ballet inspired workout.

Do it!! It's never too late to start!

do it!!

she was an inspiration to us all

Me too!

Me too!

And barbie swan lake!

Oh, I have such a similar regret. I'm not black but iw as kinda poor growing up, and my parents didn't care to enroll me for ballet classes. I was Incredibly sad for years that I would never be a ballerina. Danced ballet for one year tho at 14 yo and loved it but had to stop it due to financial problems.

So true! I hate most dance movies because they so often push this image of it being so dramatic and dark. I wouldn't do this if it were like that! I dance because it brings me joy. Yes there's pain, and yes the industry has a lot of work to do, but romanticizing the drama leaves you with something that doesn't even remotely resemble my experience of dancing.

yeah how many of these girls are buying tickets for their local company or taking adult ballet classes in the community? it's not a real appreciation for the art form.

@@elizabethsaltmarsh8306 YESSS

I completely agree. I'm not a ballerina, but I am a jazz dancer and I've been taught the basics that ballet and all the Western dance forms revolve around. Jazz uses these particular jazz shoes and I think I'd be quite upset if people who could not give a shit about the actual artform were seen wearing the same shoes. So I know where you're coming from.

@@nekomancer09 agree!

Yes, to baggy, unending warm up layers! That's the real dancer aesthetic! Plus, I agree that children wearing tutus isn't an issue, and it's much more annoying to see popstars were pointe shoes.

agreed, the real ballerina aesthetic is more geared towards functionality

@@meganpeitzcobarescobar8137 I want to see a comedy sketch of someone taking off a dancer's layers and finding more clothes underneath until at the end it's like a picture of Misty Copeland and a Nutcracker CD dressed up as a human 🤣

Also the cut out tights doubling as sweaters , and people always forget the no rings no necklaces no bracelets no earrings and no nails (no makeup either at least for me some places arent like that tho)

You can’t wear point shoes, they’re stiff blocks. You can only wear slippers. I know the pinnacle of ballet is to do a group or couple performance wearing not rehearsal wear. So far, I’m at the afford basic classes level lol. Pointe shoes are almost shrouded in mystery, as some people don’t know if the shoe is hard or the dancer is just that strong/that it’s humanly possible. It’s a gatekept world and people want to know

But that being said this whole “balletcore” thing makes me cringe.

Agreed, very cringey 😬 seems more inspired by what children wear to class than what actual professional dancers wear.

@@emilykarell-chu692 exactly!!!!!

omg i’m sorry to freak out but that’s so cool that you dance at abt!! i’m a 16 year old ballet dancer and my dream is to dance there edit: i may have looked you up and you’re so cool lol, keep up the amazing work :))

@@natalie4649 Yeah, I understand a lot of people just like the ballet aesthetic, which is totally understandable.. I should have clarified that it's the people who claim to know more than me that annoy me. :)

if it’s not brutal in the beginning it will eventually get there anyway…

@@ashley-wk3zl So it's better to just scare away anyone who doesn't fit the standard?

Go Mom, but screw that teacher! I'm so sorry you're introduction into the art form was so horrible. As a curvy dance teacher who was fat-shamed dancer/student, it's extremely important for me to show that all bodies are capable of beautiful, expressive movement

@@meganpeitzcobarescobar8137 it sounds like you’re doing really great things!! ❤️

a similar thing happened to me, but the teacher was homophobic I guess??? I was 6 and hugged my girl-friend from behind, the instructor went wild hahaha

I love Ailey, but his company performs modern dance, not ballet. (Although their dancers are highly trained in ballet, as well.) Dance Theater of Harlem is a ballet company.

Yeah same, unfortunately, if you dont dig that hard you wont know abt the unsung heroes, like i learnt this just last week

@@cicihouston6965 ohh cool

Ballet history is 100% white. Ballet is a european art form, it is integrally tied to european culture. It was invented in 16th century italy then spread around the rest of europe. From the music to the costumes to the choreography it's all european culture

...........it was not based from it, some scenes were inspired by it... just as it was inspired by many other things/real life characters.

@@ecstasy5022 He literally bought the rights so Satoshi Kons movies 😂

@@dearvermin No he didn't, Aronofsky acknowledged the similarities in 2010, but denied that Black Swan was inspired by Perfect Blue. As a matter of fact, read about the development of the film, it was inspired by many other things and real life character .

@@ecstasy5022 My mistake, turns out he only attempted to buy it meaning he blatantly copied things from Statoshi Kons movie! I suggest you watch Perfect Blue and realise that people can very much lie about not taking any inspiration.

@@dearvermin bruh its like 2 unoriginal scenes out of an almost 2 h movie... its not that deep

omfg pointe shoes destroyed my feet i feel u 😭

Not to mention you absolutely could get a concussion if you slipped and fell in a bad way

@@katniss425 exactly. When I first started pointe, I had a friend who had to go home. We where doing and exercise and she ended up falling. She didn’t have to get stitches or anything, but it was pretty bad.

@@tayy3439 😭

Ugh what is it with men and oneupmanship?

I’m in the same boat as you dancewear wise, but idk how much this trend will affect the sizing as a lot appear to be waif/very thin

Yes yes!!! And more options for younger boys!!! Let everyone feel comfortable in dance gear!!

Yes Snag Tights finally started selling plus size dance tights

i know ballet isn’t super size inclusive, and finding dance wear isn’t something i struggle with but the brand cloud and victory has sizes xs-3xl and they have the prettiest leotards

no😜

For me this feels like a different way of experiencing those people who would go "oh u do ballet hahaha i can do ballet too look its just spinning around like this " *proceeds to turn with the arms somewhat up *

It reminds me of an old teacher of mine, who explained that teachers were allowed to wear long skirts to class because they had dedicated their whole life to the art. Like, you're not allowed to express yourself in class AT ALL until you become an adult professional. Before that, you're in a uniform usually.

@@blondie9909 EXACTLY that always makes me so mad

@@jessicatatum7769 perfect analogy

basically summed up exactly how i feel as a ballet dancer about this whole thing lolll

Exactly!!

A lot of people with earring disorders have lithe muscles and work out a lot. Working out a lot is often associated with EDs

@@kirag9509 totally. I didn't mean to imply that this (what you said) can't be the case. I suffered from an ED for a good decade while I danced and for a bit after and I remember at one point being insulted because someone said I looked lean but strong because I have muscles. I was barely eating and dancing 5+ hours a day.

It definitely also has smt to do with 2000s fashion being in trend again so sadly the body will be in trend again

As someone who is naturally ballerina thin and wishes I could be Kardashian curvy… I welcome the change. I think it’s unfair to say being thin is unnatural. Real women’s bodies are every body type.

@Ariana Fox it’s every body type but we keep bouncing back and forth between stick thin cokette and unrealistic coke body proportions. I don’t welcome the change at all. Now we’re just gonna go from the skinny girls feeling bad to non skinny, non ideally proportioned, curvy or fat women feeling bad. Which statistically, most women in the US at least fall into the latter group. Lmao let’s stop celebrating oscillating between two extremes of the TWO options that are allowed for women s bodies. It’s disheartening. i guess we’re gonna go from the dangerous rise in BBLs to another cosmetic surgery that gives the coveted thigh gap and protruding bones in all the right places. Edit: by “two extremes” I don’t mean that’s it’s unnatural or that there aren’t people who naturally have either body type that shouldn’t be just as celebrated. But they’re typically body types that are just that, often influenced almost 100% by genetics or gained through rigorous dieting or cosmetic maintenance that are enforced as the standard ALL women should aspire to.

yesss definitely! also if you like this style check out violet chachki, she sometimes takes inspo from him and it's just *chef's kiss*

I hope this is satire. Agreed but if you genuinely believe the Amy dune etc jokes that's...

unfortunately ED twt, ED tiktok and other pro-ana/pro-ED social media communities have been using similar trends as thinspo for years, although it has definitely been out of the mainstream for the past half decade or so. I’m recovering from my ED (I’m in my early 20s) and was definitely badly affected by the mainstream pro-ana tumblr aesthetic when I was a young teen. I worry a lot for the young teenagers now who will be badly affected by this aesthetic :(

@@Sarah-oy2lr heyoo in early 20's also recovering from an ED. Hope you are doing well ! It's honestly really sad to hear that Instagram and Twitter are becoming pro-ana spaces just like Tumblr used to be:( I think those spaces are way more damaging than we think, and I really feel like Tumblr had A LOT of pro-ana content. Most people roughly my age that I've met in treatment remembers Tumblr specifically being really pervasive and unhealthy for their eating disorder early on in teen years. I really wish social media companies would actually censor the content that needs to be like any pro ED content. I deleted all my social media and I highly encourage you to do the same, especially if you struggle with an ED. Social media is just such a bad trigger and super toxic for anyone imo

I think admiring her is ok when it's only about her talent which most people do anything else is obviously not

Yup, she's racist and sexist. She has tried to pass off both as being a reflection of her time but honestly it's bull crap because she continued to spout the same crap well into old age.

Imo Brigitte Bardot is entitled to the views she holds. No one has to agree. But she is an iconic figure in cinematic history, so of course people are still going to idolize her...people are not one dimensional and I wish more would understand this. You can have an unpopular view and still be a fascinating and great person in many other ways. To reduce them to just "problematic" due to one singular view You disagree with is in itself problematic.

@@belladonna5904 yeah let‘s normalize sexism and racism. Do yall even think?

@@belladonna5904 You can appreciate someone’s work/talent and still acknowledge that they’re a problematic person though...especially in the film industry

And wearing only the arms of your shirt with the body behind your neck, or pants as arm warmers! Anytime I put on a dance outfit my husband usually comments how ridiculous I look. It's not sexy 😂

Yeah most of the time, ballet is not cute :D