More than a costume: Self-expression and Storytelling through Dancing with the Stars

When Robert Irwin ripped his shirt off mid-routine, it wasn’t just to treat his audience—it was a statement. Dancing with the Stars has always encouraged contestants to show out with their costumes, but this season’s cast took that invitation and ran with it, turning their time on the floor into an opportunity for self-expression. Each week contestants combine fashion with their personal passions and interests to bring their dances to life in more ways than one, turning dances into stories of self.

Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, for example, came out in a red, white, and blue fringed dress with an athletic neck and back that reflected her passions through current trends of movement and bold color. Like many of her fellow contestants, she was able to represent what she believed in through the platform that Dancing with the Stars gave her. 

While Chiles blended athletic identity and her love for performance, Robert Irwin paid homage to his late father and his roots in wildlife conservation in Australia through his jungle-themed look on Disney Night. Not only do style and fashion add spice to each dance, but it also adds an extra layer of complexity through the story it tells, and it’s especially beautiful to see this art in the setting of sport on Dancing with the Stars. 

And lastly the beloved Danielle Fishel brought nostalgia to the dance floor with her Topanga-inspired outfit and hair. For longtime fans of Boy Meets World, it was a wink to the past and a way of embracing who really is, through her playful routine and honor of William Daniels (Mr. Feeny). Her look bridged her acting history with her current reality, echoing today’s trends of bold patterns and cinched silhouettes, combining sport, style, and self-expression. 

Dancing with the Stars is unique in that it merges fashion, sport, and passion into one art form, specifically giving contestants voice and choice through custom costumes. This season, Dancing with the Stars isn’t just a competition of skill; it’s a runway of individuality. Contestants are using sequins, textures, and themes to say something about who they are and what they stand for, while bringing talent to the dancefloor in a big way. 

This season of Dancing with the Stars reminds us that fashion is more than fabric; it’s a language. These contestants’ relentless self-expression on the dancefloor reminds us that what we wear tells the world a story about who we are, as a reflection of our creativity and personality.