Charli D'Amelio Reveals That She Once Struggled With Her Body Image Because of an Old Dance Teacher
Content warning: The following article contains mentions of eating disorders and unhealthy relationships with food that may be triggering.
Charli D'Amelio is slaying her current gig on Dancing With the Stars and seems to be a shoo-in to take home the mirror ball trophy. However, her experience in the dance community has not always been as positive. In the latest episode of her Hulu reality series, The D'Amelio Show, the 18-year-old multihyphenate opened up about her struggles with body image and how a past dance teacher made her insecure.
When she went to visit her hometown in Connecticut, Charli touched down at an old dance studio where she was a student. She praised the instructors for creating a safe space for her during her time there, but in a confessional, she revealed that she didn't always experience such positive environments as a young dancer.
"I had a dance teacher that was really sh*tty and that messed me up for a while. I mean, words have so much power, especially when it comes to young dancers. All they want is to have that validation from the people that are teaching them," she said on the show as photos of her 10 and 11-year-old self dancing were displayed. "I struggled for a long time and I did it as quietly as I could and that was really hard."
Charli's mom Heidi, who is also competing on Dancing With the Stars this season, added that the teacher's negative comments toward her daughter "really messed with her head" because she was "muscular and lean." Heidi added that Charli, who went on to gain over 148 million followers on TikTok because of her killer dancing skills, "was tiny, she [hadn't] developed yet. She was a pre-teen."
Charli addressed her struggles with food in a video she posted to Instagram in February 2020. "Some of the most hurtful comments that I read about myself online are, 'She’s fatter than when we got her famous,' or 'She’s ugly,' They don't like the way my face looks for some reason," she said. "A lot about my body shape, my body type, which hits close to home because I struggle a lot with body image, body dysmorphia, bad eating habits. No one really knows that."
The social media star's transparency about her own experiences has opened up the conversation for others who may be going through similar struggles.
If you or a loved one are experiencing an eating disorder, please visit the National Eating Disorders Association online or call their helpline at (800) 931-2237.
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