Meet 15-Year-Old Ballerina Lizzy Who Challenges Body Stereotypes In Dance
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Plus-size ballerina Lizzy Howell fights stereotypes with dance. The 15-year-old from Milford, Delaware has been dancing for 10 years, and became an inspiration for thousands when a clip of her nailing a series of fouetté turns went viral on the internet. Besides ballet, Lizzy also practices jazz and tap dancing. She trains 4 days per week and proves that dedication beats everything. On top of that, dancing helps Howell manage anxiety from her pseudotumor cerebri (a condition that causes excess fluid around the brain). She also has become an ambassador for Dancing for You, a disability awareness campaign.
Click to unmute
Meet 15-Year-Old Ballerina Lizzy Who Challenges Body Stereotypes In Dance
Plus-size ballerina Lizzy Howell fights stereotypes with dance. The 15-year-old from Milford, Delaware has been dancing for 10 years, and became an inspiration for thousands when a clip of her nailing a series of fouetté turns went viral on the internet. Besides ballet, Lizzy also practices jazz and tap dancing. She trains 4 days per week and proves that dedication beats everything. On top of that, dancing helps Howell manage anxiety from her pseudotumor cerebri (a condition that causes excess fluid around the brain). She also has become an ambassador for Dancing for You, a disability awareness campaign.
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What do you think ?
Chubby girls wants to dance, let her dance. She's not asking to be a famous ballerina, just to dance, which is good for her health. I don't know why people are getting so angry about this.
I think sadly the only reason people are applauding her is because of her weight. If she were the average size ballet dancer, no one would see anything special about her dancing. It's almost insulting to her. It's as if seeing a girl her size who can actually do some basic ballet moves is amazing and wonderful.
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Naaah, people are getting angry about other people saying it's cute that she's fat and dancing, thinking quite the opposite at the same time. At least that's what I am angry about when I see panda pages like this one.
I get that a heavy girl in a leotard is not aesthetically pleasing, but the responses are just full of people saying nasty things. I don't get it. Like why are they taking it so personally that this girl is heavy and dancing and someone thinks that's a good thing. :(
I think it's great to not care of what people think or what community says you should look like. But being overweight is not healthy.
You don't know that. Just because someone is "overweight" doesn't mean they are not healthy. There are skinny people who eat nothing but junk and sugar all day. And there are plenty of fat people who eat only veggies and fruits. Sometime no matter what a person does they can't change the way their body looks. This is probably just the way she is and she can't help it.
Her medication may have caused weight gain also. I'm really careful about eating and gained 80 pounds on my meds. It happens.
She has a tumor so she's definitely not healthy, not she can help it in this case.
Of course I don't, I don't know her. But you don't know either if she can't help it. Most people can do something about their weight.
Girls quit sports all the time because they think they are fat. People don't want to go to the gym because they are self conscious of their weight. I've felt that way and I'm not obese. I think that is where the "not caring about what others think" is important.
some people have excess fat because of medical conditions, it's not like they can help it you know...
I'd say that's a minority though Sarah.
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The thing about being overweight it that the person already knows it's healthy and doesn't need reminding.
Not necessarily. There are a lot of fat acceptance activista that insist weight (including morbid obesity) has no effect on health.
I should say *unhealthy*
OK now everybody stop this correctness shit and be honest....
Well to be fair I googled and looked at the Mayo Clinic website to see if her condition (Pseudotumor cerebri) is connected to her obesity. It's not. In fact it seems to be the opposite with obesity making u more likely to develope it. Part of recommended treatment is weight loss for obese patients as this may improve symptoms. She is a lovely girl, but once again the internet is giving us a nice feel good story that hides the reality of the situation and ignores the not so feel good fact that obesity is harming her and limiting ability as a dancer.
I didn't come in here planning to be super nice. Honestly, can she dance? Sure, I guess. The clips don't show much, but it's more ballet than I can do. However, my first thought upon seeing this was "if she's a ballet dancer, why is she STILL so fat?" Whatever, I don't care, if she has fun doing it, but I hope she's not expecting to go professional at this stage. Aesthetically, a slightly chubby ballet dancer? Fine, I can get over it. An obese ballet dancer? Eeeeeeehhhh..... When I see an obese person anywhere my brain's first reaction is still "OH MY GOD, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN / HOW IS THAT POSSIBLY COMFORTABLE?" so I'm not wired for something like "fat acceptance" at that level.
Fuuuck why did my comment copy three times!?
Oh shut up. She's a wonderful dancer and she's having fun. It shouldn't matter what someone's body looks like. She's a human being following her dreams. Good for her!
It's ballet! Of course it matters what her body looks like. That's the whole point, ur creating art with the lines of your body. Instead of the world around her just pretending that being obese doesn't matter at all I hope someone steps up and is honest with her in a kind way and helps her get to a healthy weight.
Cesi Baca Ballet/dance is also about having confidence in yourself and loving your body. It's also about the passion and dedication, regardless of your ability or your size. Lizzy may not be the best dancer (she still dances a lot better than I do XD), but I can still see the beauty within her. She is expressing her self through dance, which helps her emotionally and physically. To me, that is beauty: promoting positivity within oneself and others.
Well, she's NOT wonderful and we all know it :) Yes, she is a human being, but damn ....not a wonderful dancer.
Not the best looking ballerina.
According to you. Your opinion doesn't make it fact. She's lovely and she's having fun. Who cares what she looks like? She's a human being.
Chubby girls wants to dance, let her dance. She's not asking to be a famous ballerina, just to dance, which is good for her health. I don't know why people are getting so angry about this.
I think sadly the only reason people are applauding her is because of her weight. If she were the average size ballet dancer, no one would see anything special about her dancing. It's almost insulting to her. It's as if seeing a girl her size who can actually do some basic ballet moves is amazing and wonderful.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Naaah, people are getting angry about other people saying it's cute that she's fat and dancing, thinking quite the opposite at the same time. At least that's what I am angry about when I see panda pages like this one.
I get that a heavy girl in a leotard is not aesthetically pleasing, but the responses are just full of people saying nasty things. I don't get it. Like why are they taking it so personally that this girl is heavy and dancing and someone thinks that's a good thing. :(
I think it's great to not care of what people think or what community says you should look like. But being overweight is not healthy.
You don't know that. Just because someone is "overweight" doesn't mean they are not healthy. There are skinny people who eat nothing but junk and sugar all day. And there are plenty of fat people who eat only veggies and fruits. Sometime no matter what a person does they can't change the way their body looks. This is probably just the way she is and she can't help it.
Her medication may have caused weight gain also. I'm really careful about eating and gained 80 pounds on my meds. It happens.
She has a tumor so she's definitely not healthy, not she can help it in this case.
Of course I don't, I don't know her. But you don't know either if she can't help it. Most people can do something about their weight.
Girls quit sports all the time because they think they are fat. People don't want to go to the gym because they are self conscious of their weight. I've felt that way and I'm not obese. I think that is where the "not caring about what others think" is important.
some people have excess fat because of medical conditions, it's not like they can help it you know...
I'd say that's a minority though Sarah.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
The thing about being overweight it that the person already knows it's healthy and doesn't need reminding.
Not necessarily. There are a lot of fat acceptance activista that insist weight (including morbid obesity) has no effect on health.
I should say *unhealthy*
OK now everybody stop this correctness shit and be honest....
Well to be fair I googled and looked at the Mayo Clinic website to see if her condition (Pseudotumor cerebri) is connected to her obesity. It's not. In fact it seems to be the opposite with obesity making u more likely to develope it. Part of recommended treatment is weight loss for obese patients as this may improve symptoms. She is a lovely girl, but once again the internet is giving us a nice feel good story that hides the reality of the situation and ignores the not so feel good fact that obesity is harming her and limiting ability as a dancer.
I didn't come in here planning to be super nice. Honestly, can she dance? Sure, I guess. The clips don't show much, but it's more ballet than I can do. However, my first thought upon seeing this was "if she's a ballet dancer, why is she STILL so fat?" Whatever, I don't care, if she has fun doing it, but I hope she's not expecting to go professional at this stage. Aesthetically, a slightly chubby ballet dancer? Fine, I can get over it. An obese ballet dancer? Eeeeeeehhhh..... When I see an obese person anywhere my brain's first reaction is still "OH MY GOD, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN / HOW IS THAT POSSIBLY COMFORTABLE?" so I'm not wired for something like "fat acceptance" at that level.
Fuuuck why did my comment copy three times!?
Oh shut up. She's a wonderful dancer and she's having fun. It shouldn't matter what someone's body looks like. She's a human being following her dreams. Good for her!
It's ballet! Of course it matters what her body looks like. That's the whole point, ur creating art with the lines of your body. Instead of the world around her just pretending that being obese doesn't matter at all I hope someone steps up and is honest with her in a kind way and helps her get to a healthy weight.
Cesi Baca Ballet/dance is also about having confidence in yourself and loving your body. It's also about the passion and dedication, regardless of your ability or your size. Lizzy may not be the best dancer (she still dances a lot better than I do XD), but I can still see the beauty within her. She is expressing her self through dance, which helps her emotionally and physically. To me, that is beauty: promoting positivity within oneself and others.
Well, she's NOT wonderful and we all know it :) Yes, she is a human being, but damn ....not a wonderful dancer.
Not the best looking ballerina.
According to you. Your opinion doesn't make it fact. She's lovely and she's having fun. Who cares what she looks like? She's a human being.