Eating Disorders & Body Image Struggles in the Ballet Industry with Ballet Dancer, Laura Annikal

In this week’s episode, Han is joined by Laura Annikal. Laura is a professional ballet dancer and sociology graduate, who has faced the pressures of body image and eating disorders in the ballet world, inspiring her to write a thesis on the subject. In ballet, where thinness is equated with success, dancers often conform to harmful body standards at the expense of their well-being. Many eating disorders go unnoticed or untreated, due to a lack of education among teachers and directors. She is dedicated to promoting body acceptance and addressing eating disorders in the ballet community, advocating for valuing health over thinness.

This week, we discuss:

• Laura's experience of developing an eating disorder and how the body standards enforced in ballet led to disordered behaviours.
• The impact of disordered eating on Laura's  ...