OTL

A dancer with the New York City Ballet who was criticized for being fat says she doesn’t want an apology.
Visiting NBC’s Today show Monday, dancer Jenifer Ringer, 37, said the comments from New York Times critic Alastair Macaulay made her “feel bad about herself.”

In his review of the Nutcracker performance in the Nov. 28 edition of the paper, Macaulay wrote that Ringer “as the Sugar Plum Fairy, looked as if she’d eaten one sugar plum too many.”

“As a dancer, I do put myself out there to be criticized, and my body is part of my art form,” Ringer said. She also feels that there is no need for an apology since Macaulay is a critic paid for his opinions.

Macaulay’s comment quickly gained negative feedback from readers. Many were outraged that he would be so hard on someone who had recently talked of her problems with eating disorders earlier in her dancing career.

Macaulay replied that “to be overweight is not to be a bad dancer,” but said a dancer’s body is important in the art.

Ballerina Says Her 'fat' Body is an Art Form