Misty Copeland: "Representing Black Women in Beauty Means So Much to Me"

"Especially in the classical ballet world, there are so many restrictions and so many things people think you have to be. It's been that way for so many generations. You have to be tall. You have to be thin and not have a lot of muscle. And white. So, I think there's been so many hurdles. For me, it's been about being the best dancer that I could be in the body and the package I was born in.

"I'm 5'2" and, having a very muscular build, a larger chest, being African American, and not starting out dancing until I was 13, [because of] all of these things, I was told it's not possible. You can't pursue this career if you have all of these working against you. So, I want to prove it's not about the package you come in. It's about what you produce and how you make people feel. People come to the theater because they want to escape. They want to see beauty. And it doesn't have to all be in the same cookie-cutter package."