DDP Cited in Research Article - "Sex Roles and the Erasure of Women from Conversations About Gender Oppression: The Case of #BoysDanceToo"

23 July 2021

By Canton Winer

Abstract

In 2019, the #BoysDanceToo movement reacted in anger to controversial, misogynistic remarks made on Good Morning America. These reactions highlighted the challenges faced by men and boys in dance. Yet, previous studies have documented significant advantages for men in dance. In an analysis of the discourse used in online posts related to the #BoysDanceToo movement, I find that these broader structural gender inequalities are generally not examined. Responses also do not interrogate the antifemininity that fuels the stigma against boys and men who dance. Analysis suggests that this is due to an overreliance on the language of sex roles—which can mask the oppression of women (as a group) by men (as a group)—and the neglect of a relational understanding of gender. As a result, women are largely erased from a conversation about gender oppression.

Excerpt

“It is also worth noting that despite the prejudices men who dance often face, they
also hold many advantages, including less competition for professional jobs and
disproportionately holding powerful and prestigious positions as artistic directors
and choreographers (Chin 2021; Fisher 2007; Larson 2017). Certainly, some of this
‘advantage’ stems from the stigmatization and bullying of boys and men in dance
(Risner 2014), which produces a scarcity of men dancers and decreased competition
(Risner 2009a). Nonetheless, scholars have also long noted ‘patriarchal underpinnings’
in dance that center the male gaze and subordinate women dancers to
men (Daly 1987; Foster 2004). These longstanding issues remain relevant. For
example, a report on the 50 largest ballet companies in the U.S. found that 79%
of works in the 2019–2020 seasons were choreographed by men, and 62% of programs
in the 2019–2020 seasons featured work choreographed exclusively by men
(Dance Data Project 2019). Moreover, ballet choreographers who are women have
historically been marginalized and treated as second-rate by dance critics (Harris
2012). This suggests that dance, like other ‘feminine’ professions, has hidden
advantages for men (particularly at its higher rungs) despite the stigma these men
often face, particularly from outside the profession (Williams 1992). Especially
because this #BoysDanceToo incident arose in the wake of the #MeToo movement,
it is worth examining whether the resulting discourse acknowledged relational disparities
in dance that advantage men and disadvantage women—even as these disparities
reflect difficulties for men as well.”

Read the full article here.