Good Morning America host Lara Spencer may not find herself welcome in England anytime soon...
Spencer caused a lot of online outrage after she mocked Prince George and the fact that he's taking ballet lessons. George has been taking ballet since Year 1 of school, and Prince William says the young boy "loves" it. Spencer made light of George's love for ballet while on air.
“He looks so happy about the ballet class,” she said as photos flashed on the screen of 6-year-old George. “Prince William says George absolutely loves ballet. I have news for you Prince William: We’ll see how long that lasts."
While it seems like a pretty off-hand comment, it didn't land well with people. Most took it as a way of disparaging George's interests and mocking his love of ballet. It was seen as a way of discouraging boys who like ballet, and a lot of celebrities had something to say about it, including Dancing With The Stars alum Derek Hough.
I saw a clip from @goodmorningamerica this morning and I was pretty surprised by the tone of some comments towards dance. My initial response was disappointment. For a brief moment it brought up old unpleasant memories of being mocked and laughed at for being a boy who danced.Fortunately that feeling dissipated quickly in knowing that the climate of dance, especially for young men in this generation is thriving more than ever, celebrated and appreciated . A young boy training in an athletic art form that requires an insane amount of discipline, strength, agility, flexibility, speed, dedication, awareness of mind, body, soul and creativity doesn’t seem like something to laugh about .
I understand that comments like the one made here on television were probably light hearted and just a little banter. I get it. I know everyone at gma including @lara.spencer and I’m sure the intention wasn’t to be hurtful. But I also just think we are in a new era and time, especially for dance and it’s perception. The tone and mockery towards dance is just dated, old and not relevant anymore. Those who mock don’t understand.
I’m proud to be a dancer and I strongly encourage any, who would like to try. So if there are any young kids out there who have a passion to pursue dance, don’t be discouraged by those who might laugh or make fun, tease or taunt. Follow your passion, take a chance on yourself and remember, that when you are courageous enough to listen to your inner voice rather than the voices (that only you can allow) to tear you down, you will always win.
Follow your bliss and you will always have the last laugh:) Nothing but love and encouragement 🙏🏼#dance #encourag e#create #dontHate #community
In the short time since Spencer made her comments, people were calling for her to apologize. It seems she got the message, because the host posted an apology on her Instagram page, saying she wants everyone to follow their dreams.
"My sincere apologies for an insensitive comment I made in pop news yesterday," she said. "From ballet to anything one wants to explore in life, I say GO FOR IT. I fully believe we should all be free to pursue our passions. Go climb your mountain-and love every minute of it."
I'll be honest, it sounds like a bit of a cop-out. She didn't even mention Prince George or the actual controversy, just "an insensitive comment I made in pop news." Sounds pretty lackluster, if you ask me.
Obviously Prince George will never see these comments, so it's not like he's directly affected by it. However, it's a disheartening message to anyone who is pursuing their dreams in something that's not "typical" to them. It reminds us that there's still a long way to go when it comes to a judgement-free world.
