"We are not strippers": How Belly Dancers Manage a (Soft) Stigmatized Serious Leisure Activity

Abstract

Most stigma research examines people who engage in deviant activities or possess visible and permanent discredited attributes, which lead to “hard” or severe consequences. Existing leisure studies focus on the benefits of leisure pursuits. Less attention is paid to the potential costs associated with serious leisure, such as “soft” stigma. The snubs and slight embarrassments resulting from soft stigma may jeopardize the rewards people receive from participating in leisure, such as a sense of identity, self‐worth, and pride. Using interviews with seventy‐four female belly dancers, most of whom belly dance as a form of “serious leisure,” this article examines how dancers manage perceptions that they are erotic dancers. Results show that dancers use an interesting set of stigma management techniques and new forms of some existing management strategies to simultaneously protect themselves and enhance the reputation of the group. Implications for how people negotiate soft stigma associated with serious leisure are discussed.

A clinical study to assess the efficacy of belly dancing as a tool for rehabilitation in female patients with malignancies

“…Nowadays it is becoming a popular form of exercise (Maira, 2008;Dox, 2006), and its physical and psychological effects are widely reviewed (Paul, 2006;Sookoo, 2009). The advantages of belly dance are reported in previous studies, both as a leisure activity (Kraus, 2010;Moe, 2012;Abrão and Pedrão, 2005) and as a treatment option (Baptista et al, 2012). Positive effects in female cancer patients include the reinforcement of the sense of femininity, the re-discovery of spiritualism, increase of self-esteem and self-confidence and the relief of stress (Serlin et al, 2000;Bojner-Horwitz, et el., 2003), alongside the promotion of a more positive body image (Downey et al, 2010;Austin, 1995;Dibbell-Hope, 2000).…”

Dance students at a two year college: making sense of their academic, cultural, and social world

“…Stigma: Occurs when a personal possesses an attribute that is associated with a negative stereotype (Kraus, 2010).…”

“…A perfect example of a style of dance that is often compared to erotic dancing is belly dancing. The key movements in belly dance such as shimmies, and moving the hips and torso has been considered morally offensive (Kraus, 2010).…”

“…The association and comparisons between belly dancers and strippers still persists to this day. The costumes that belly dancers wear (e.g., decorated bras, skirts, displaying a visible stomach), can contribute to the judgments made against them (Kraus, 2010). Even hula dancing can be seen as an erotic form of dance.…”

“…Stigmatization can lower a person's quality of life and lead to feelings of low self-esteem, depression, isolation, and shame (Kraus, 2010). Some strategies that are employed to cope with negative perceptions include avoidance or withdrawal from the general population of people who do not accept or support the individual's lifestyle choice.…”