Misty Copeland – Changing Ideas of How a Perfect Dancer Should Look

I love the story of Misty Copeland. Misty defies the stereotypes of the perfect ballerina.

 

Misty Copeland is a great example for girls who are interested in ballet. She used perseverance to overcome obstacles in a dance style that wouldn’t traditionally have been a natural fit for her.

For one thing, Misty lived in poverty and started taking ballet classes at age 13 at a Boys and Girls Club. Then she had to come to terms with a body that’s curvier and more muscular than most ballerinas. Also, Misty is African American.

I love that Misty Copeland has changed many people’s ideas of how a perfect dancer should look. She’s now a soloist in the prestigious American Ballet Theater.

Here’s an inspiring Under Armour ad with Misty:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY0cdXr_1MA

Here’s a video with more about Misty:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egkVCARjFGQ

If you’d like more Misty Copeland inspiration, check out these articles:

• If Misty Copeland’s Body Is “Wrong,” I Don’t Want to Be Right at XX Factor
• Ballet Star Misty Copeland Talks Overcoming Racism and Body Shaming on Her Way to the Top at TeenVogue
• Misty Copeland’s Perseverance at The Washington Post
• Misty Copeland on Ballet, Beauty & Standing Out at Yahoo Style
• Stretching beauty: Ballerina Misty Copeland on her body struggles at Fox News

Misty also has two books, one for adults and one for children: *Amazon affiliate*

For more about body image, you’ll find lots of body image resources here: Body Image Resources.

I have lots of quotes and word-art inspiration at the Bits of Positivity Facebook page and on Pinterest!

Photo Credit: “From the ballet Coppelia cropped” by Gilda N. Squire Gildasquire – Extracted from File:From the ballet Coppelia.jpg. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.