Ballet-dancing activist works to shed industry of "L-word."

PLAIN CITY, OH —Local ballet dancer Britney Hudson won't stop dancing until the ubiquitous industry term leotard is no longer in use.

Hudson is holding a one-person Dance-a-thon in her parents' rec room to call attention to what she finds is a "demeaning and an out-of-date word."

Plié-se just stop.

The Oxford dictionary defines the term in question as "a close-fitting one-piece garment, made of stretchy fabric, that covers a person's body from the shoulders to the top of the thighs and typically the arms, worn by dancers or people exercising indoors."

The garment is named after French trapeze artist Jules Léotard, who popularized the attire in the early 20th century.

"Maybe this Leo guy was learning-challenged or something." Hudson continued, mid-pirouette. "And frankly, anyone still using this word is well, they're uh, probably retarded."

Hudson's brother Josh, 32, who lives in the Dance-a-thon location, was initially confused, "L-word? I thought she was talking about lesbians, and I thought, who doesn't love lesbian ballerinas? That one part in Black Swan was hot."

Hudson plans to continue dancing until her demands are met, or she gets really dizzy.