If you’ve been watching Love Island USA clips, scrolling through TikTok, or watching dance videos, odds are you’ve seen this comment: “They are never beating those midnight ballerina allegations.” And if you’re confused, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Despite sounding like a new dance show or late-night ballet trend, that isn’t the case: Midnight ballerina is one of the internet’s latest euphemisms, but it’s got layers going back over a decade.
So, what is the midnight ballerina? And why is everyone accusing people of being one? Well, we can partially thank Huda from Love Island USA for being the unofficial face of the phrase this season. After every dance challenge, the comments light up like fireworks on the Fourth of July: “Midnight ballerina behavior!” and “She’s never beating those allegations.” It’s a meme, it’s an accusation, and it’s kind of a compliment all at once.
But while it’s just now becoming a common phrase, the term has been slowly gaining in popularity for a long time. Like many Gen-Z phrases, “midnight ballerina” has become a strategy to work around social media filters for inappropriate content. It’s a way to express an idea that the algorithm deems inappropriate without being too explicit. Other examples are terms like “mattress actress” or “shmex educator.” So, here’s what midnight ballerina actually means, where it comes from, and why it’s blowing up right now.
So, what does “midnight ballerina” mean?
Midnight ballerinas are not exactly what they sound like. I do like to imagine someone putting on pointe shoes and sneaking out at night to bust out a routine to Swan Lake, but the internet isn’t on that wavelength.
Midnight ballerina is a popular euphemism for strippers, but it could also be a broad definition that includes pole or burlesque dancers. Ultimately, the term describes people who are X-rated dancers, and on the internet, it is often used to describe anyone who is a suspiciously good sexy dancer.
Where does the term “midnight ballerina” come from?
Despite its recent popularity, the nickname probably comes from Cori Williams’s novel, Midnight Ballerina, which follows a young woman who has to give up her dreams of performing in the ballet and resort to stripping to pay her bills. The term is originally used metaphorically for a woman who has overcome hard times. Though the book may not be the first time the phrase has ever been used — it’s probably been around in the sex work world for years — it is one of the most prominent uses of the phrase in pop culture.
Since then, the term has evolved beyond its literary roots to simply refer to exotic dancers. It has become a tongue-in-cheek way to describe actual strippers, or in Huda’s case, people who throw it back with so much enthusiasm that viewers assume she is a professional.