Professional dancers and thongs

[edwinbear]

Just watched A Star is Born and the subsequent BBC2 coverage of Lady Gaga. It’s got me thinking about professional female performers and how often many of them are expected to perform in thongs.

It all seems a bit exploitive to me, but I don’t come from a performing arts background so maybe I’ve got this wrong. Lady Gaga has a lovely bottom, if she’s happy to perform in a thong, good for her. But is there an expectation that if you’re a professional female dancer, if that’s the costume on offer, you have to wear it? Are they actually wearing super thick dance tights so we’re not actually seeing their bottom?

Dance costumes are often brief to show the body off. Male ballet dancers might not wear thongs but they do wear revealing tights.

I don't like seeing gymnasts with their bottoms on display though when they could just as easily wear form fitting shorts.

Most dancers in pop or musical theatre will wear thickish flesh toned tights under leotards and briefs.

White female dancers are the people propping up the American Tan tights industry. But of course, it's sexist to be expected to dance in a G-string.

@FortunesFave completely agree about gymnasts. DD (10) was a squad gymnast for a while and hated competing in a leotard. She was allowed to wear shorts over it for training, but not in competition.