Not long ago, Akira Armstrong was invited to appear on a new reality dance competition. She was thrilled.

The founder and chief executive officer of Pretty Big Movement, a New York City-based company for plus-size dancers, Armstrong had been a vocal proponent of body diversity in dance. Now, a major media platform was recognizing that larger bodies had a place in this art form.

Then Armstrong visited the show’s costume department. “There was nothing in my size,” she said. “And they knew they hired a plus-size choreographer. They had my clothing size ahead of time. They picked me.”

Even those outside the dance world are familiar with the stereotype of the rail-thin dancer. Over the past several decades, many companies, organizations and casting teams have consistently sought out artists with extremely slender bodies, for aesthetic and artistic reasons.

The trend toward thinner and thinner dancers has raised both equity and health concerns. In addition to limiting opportunities for larger performers, size-related pressures can significantly affect dance practitioners’ well-being. Studies have shown that dancers are three times more likely than nondancers to develop eating disorders.

But when bodies are art, what qualifies as body discrimination?

That question can be thorny in a legal context, and dancers have repeatedly brought discrimination cases to court. Last month, two former Richmond Ballet dancers filed lawsuits claiming the company, based in Virginia, had required them to maintain a “dangerously unhealthy weight.” A recent high-profile lawsuit brought by a group of Lizzo’s former dancers suggests that even outwardly body-inclusive environments can harbor body shaming.