Dancers and cheerleaders, men and women both, are pretty much known for their tight abs, strong legs and "perfect" faces, but behind the scenes things can get quit intense. Pressure from coaches, owners and fans are beginning to take their toll on these athletes causing body images issues, eating disorders and even depression. College cheerleaders and dancers are at an especially high risk for all symptoms according to a study done by live science. The study looking at these athletes and whether uniforms bared their midriffs and if it had any affect on eating disorder incidents and body image dissatisfaction. Participants were surveyed for weight, height and perceived ideal weight, concluding that 33.1 percent had eating disorder characteristics. They were also asked about how they thought their coaches, peers, teammates and fans perceived their body image, concluding that most worried about what they thought and how they looked in a uniform. It is important to remember that spirit squads are there to encourage cheering and team spirit and that these pressures that are being put on dancers and cheerleaders, starting as young as 10 years old are creating future mental health and body issues.
Source: http://www.livescience.com/9945-cheerleaders-risk-eating-disorders-study-finds.html
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