NY Times Critic Defends His Criticism Of Ballerina’s Weight

There are certain industries that seem to cultivate a culture of criticism and obsession with female bodies: Film, modeling, and dance.

New York Times critic Alastair Macaulay had a few choice words about the weight of Jenifer Ringer, who played the Sugar Plum Fairy in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, that caused an outcry on the internet.

He wrote in his review:

├óΓé¼┼ôThis didn’t feel, however, like an opening night. Jenifer Ringer, as the Sugar Plum Fairy, looked as if she’d eaten one sugar plum too many; and Jared Angle, as the Cavalier, seems to have been sampling half the Sweet realm.├óΓé¼┬¥

While commenting on her weight in such a way is a deplorable thing to do, especially because she has had eating problems in the past, Macaulay makes some good points about flaws in the criticism fired at him.

├óΓé¼┼ôNotably, the fuss has been about Ms. Ringer’s appearance. No one took issue with what might be considered a much more severe criticism, that the two danced “without adult depth or complexity.” And though I was much harder on Mr. Angle’s appearance, scarcely a reader objected. When I described Nilas Martins as “portly” in The New York Times and Mark Morris as “obese” in the Times Literary Supplement, those remarks were also greeted with silence. Fat, apparently, is not so much a feminist issue as a sexist one. Sauce for the goose? Scandal. Sauce for the gander? No problem.

He continued:

├óΓé¼┼ôSome correspondents have argued that the body in ballet is “irrelevant.” Sorry, but the opposite is true. If you want to make your appearance irrelevant to criticism, do not choose ballet as a career. The body in ballet becomes a subject of the keenest observation and the most intense discussion. I am severe — but ballet, as dancers know, is more so.├óΓé¼┬¥

What do U think? Were Macaulay’s comments too harsh or on target?

[Image via AP Images.]