ABC‘s Lara Spencer has come under fire for laughing while discussing Prince George‘s curriculum, which includes, among other things, ballet lessons.
“In addition to the usual 1st or 2nd grade things like math, science and history, the future king of England will be putting down the PlayDough to take on religious studies, computer programing, poetry and ballet among other things,” Spencer said Thursday on Good Morning America, and laughter ensued. “Prince William says George absolutely loves ballet. I have news for you Prince William, we’ll see how long that lasts.”
The internet was swift in criticizing Spencer, saying she was bullying a boy for enjoying ballet. Celebrities like George Takei and choreographer Travis Wall shared their frustrations on Twitter; Rosie O’Donnell chimed in with a video, saying “Lara Spencer, seriously? Laughing at boys who take ballet?”
Spencer apologized on Instagram Friday. “My sincere apologies for an insensitive comment I made in pop news yesterday. From ballet to anything one wants to explore in life, I say GO FOR IT,” she wrote. “I fully believe we should all be free to pursue our passions. Go climb your mountain-and love every minute of it.”
Social media users, working to reframe the controversy, are also sharing photos and videos of talented young performers and dance enthusiasts — be they danseurs or performers in other disciplines — with the hashtag #BoysDanceToo.
Whether Kensington Palace joins in with new pictures of George remains to be seen, so until then perhaps consider who he has to thank for the dancing gene:
