Plus Size Dancers

Ahava_Melantha

New member
sorry. I meant i won't disagree. arghh1 sometimes things I mean to say and . . . yeah i end up saying the opposite and then saying it the 2end time how I really mean it. lol. so sorry, haha
 

lucretia

New member
Hi everyone, sorry to jump right in like this but I actually joined this site because of this thread--does anyone know if there are any plus-size belly dance classes offered in the NYC area? There are plenty of classes but NYC is uptight enough about overweight women, I don't know that I want to take a class and feel self-conscious about being the only larger woman in there.

Thank you in advance!
 

LilithNoor

New member
Can't help on the classes, I'm afraid, but speaking as a plus size chick, I've never been in a belly dance class where I've been made to feel inferior because of my size.

As Yame said further up the thread, belly dance is a particularly supportive and community for larger women, because there isn't that preconception that you have to be a skinny little bit in order to be any good at it.
 

Shanazel

Moderator
Why we have to label people according to size, as if we are all varieties of vegetables or fruit, is beyond me. Size-wise in the fashion industry anyone who wears a size twelve and over is "plus size." I assume that means anyone wearing a ten and under is in the normal range. Such nonsense and sheer raging prejudice to categorize people as normal or abnormal based on size. And calling people "plus size" is equivalent to calling them "larger than normal."

I watched "Project Runway" on my computer some months ago and one little no-talent blinkie was whining about having to make clothes for an average woman as opposed to a six foot tall size two model. How, he moaned resentfully, could he be expected to design for a short busty woman who would throw off the whole line of his marvelous clothes? IMNSHO, if you can't design clothes for anyone but a model, then you can't design clothes.

Off topic, I reckon, and I should just avoid threads on the topic. I always end up irritated beyond belief by the concept of body size being indicative of worth.
 
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LadyLoba

New member
well if you dont like him...encourage him to design for all those six foot tall size two women...that body type is so rare he's not likely to go far marketing wise.

Yes, I believe "plus size" is either a US size 12 or 14...right now...but US clothing sizes fluctuate and the distinction between "plus" and "standard" moves around too. I used to know a woman who referred to herself as a "big beautiful woman" or BBW...and she wasnt alone because she had many admirers who found her hot.

I dont care what they call it...as long as people arent cruel and nasty to anyone based on size...either way. There's zero need to run up to people...in a belly dance class or anywhere else...and "inform" them of your negative opinion of their body size, weight, or any other detail of their appearance.

Here's a good guideline: If you would have the urge to smack somebody if they said it to you...even if you would nevr act on it...if it would make you feel the urge to smack or tell off the person...then don't say it to somebody else.
 

Shakti

New member
12 -14 sizes are not technically plus size in clothing. Any size above a 16, like 18 1x 2x 3x 4x is plus size.
 

LadyLoba

New member
Yeah, I think 12-14 is a plus size model..and 16-18 is a plus size in retail...this five minutes. Next year it might be completely different.
 

Ariadne

Well-known member
Yeah, I think 12-14 is a plus size model..and 16-18 is a plus size in retail...
16+.

Yeah they only use models that are actually 4 or less sizes then who they are selling to, for all sizes. No they don't create unrealistic expectations at all do they? :wall:
 

LadyLoba

New member
It's annoying too. They show clothes on a crafted image created by first taking a woman who has a team of people dedicated to making sure she is several sizes smaller than her natural body type...then they further alter the image until absolutely nobody looks like that on the planet. What is that going to tell me about what it's going to actually look like on a person?!

The cool thing Ive noticed about belly dance costumes is that it's pretty easy to find a picture of a dancer with a similar body type to you to get a look at how different costumes are going to look.

The starter of this thread...you'll find plenty of beautiful belly dancers with your body type.
 

Emmab81

New member
I have been both a skinny belly dancer (52kg) and a 'larger' dancer (84kg) and now sit somewhere inbetween. It seriously annoys me when I hear 'oh you need a belly to belly dance' generally I find people expect to see belly dancers as larger ladies and then when they are they are shocked to see that they would get up and show off their stomach.
 

Ahava_Melantha

New member
or some other things i hate:

1. when an afrocentric women claims that ALL belly dancing comes from Africa and it is a black womens' dance and black women came up with undulations, and most belly dancers are a bunch of white women stealing the black womens dance

2. when some women feel they have the right to bellydance because they're large, but you can tell they don't really KNOW how, and they're up on stage doing SOMETHING but who knows what, but they label it as belly dancing.

ugghhhh.

skinny women can belly dance and so can larger women. neither one of them is more skilled than the other because of what kind of body they have imho
 

Amulya

Moderator
A teacher who comments on someone's weight of figure is unprofessional. And one that lets the other students say such things as well without telling them off, grrr!

Time for another teacher I think.
 

xfiendfyre

New member
16+.

Yeah they only use models that are actually 4 or less sizes then who they are selling to, for all sizes. No they don't create unrealistic expectations at all do they? :wall:

My sister and I are both sizes 10 and 12 respectively. If we were to model, we would both be considered plus size even though in retail, plus size is 16+. Plus size model can be as low in size as 10/12.

But hey, we're getting there.

skinny women can belly dance and so can larger women. neither one of them is more skilled than the other because of what kind of body they have imho

I agree with this so, so much! I hate it when people critique dancers for being too skinny, too fat, not having enough hips, etc.

There are a lot of people who just don't have control over their body size. I had a friend in high school who was 5'10" and only about 115 lbs. And she ate a LOT, more than myself (and I am a lot bigger than her!) She used to bring 2 lunches to school in a desperate attempt to gain weight and she never could.
 

LadyLoba

New member
A teacher who comments on someone's weight of figure is unprofessional. And one that lets the other students say such things as well without telling them off, grrr!

Time for another teacher I think.

Very true. If you've signed up for a belly dance class, you are there to learn belly dance. If somebody wanted a body makeover, they'd go talk to a dietician or a personal trainer or some lifestyle makeover type coach.

And other students...grr is right. I seem to have missed the news the day these people were all appointed to the panel that declares which body type is attractive to everybody in the world.

I taught a writing workshop once where I got on a guy for similar behavior. One of my students had cognitive disabilities and some speech impairments...but she was perfectly capable of writing teen love stories...and she worked harder than anyone else. Well, this guy who sat in front of her fancied himself a great writer even though all he'd ever done was write one unpaid column that got published in the local paper.. and he would do things like smirk at this girl when she read, talk over her, start passing his column around to other people when she was reading her story. It was pretty clear he didn't think she was worthy of being in the same workshop as him.

I caught him doing it and told him flat out to put the column away, turn around, and be quiet while another student was reading. He doesn't like me to this day...but that's really too bad. No matter what anyone else thinks of a student...if they can do the work of the class, they deserve to be there.
 
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