I’ve been dancing and performing since I was 15 and ever since I started, I have been constantly told that I am not the ‘correct size’ or I am too big for a dancer. Missed opportunities always had me thinking if it was my body size that got me eliminated or not put in the same standing as everyone else. I struggled to reconcile my feelings because what I thought gave me confidence was the same thing causing me to feel bad about myself. 

Eventually, I had to rethink my priorities and changed the way I view dance in my life. I told myself that I will never be happy if I fixate on a standard dancer mould/type given by someone else, knowing I’m not likely to ever fit in it. Hence with each class, I constantly remind myself to enjoy the class and feel the music (which makes me happy!), instead of being the best dancer on the dancefloor.

I look at my body slightly differently now. I believe health and personality is what is key to my life and who I am as a person. Being truly confident is not an easy task to do, especially when we live in such a judgmental world. I want to continue to motivate myself and others that they can be confident and beautiful without having to worry about fitting to society’s expectations of them.