Misty Copeland On Ballerinas As Athletes, Self-Care, And Her Body-Image Issues As A Black Woman In Ballet

“I’ve had so many issues throughout my career finding the right support – even in something like finding leotards to fit a larger butt. … With the conversations that I’ve opened up, people are more open to expecting the different body types that exist. Also, if you go back to the 1930s and ’40s you’ll see these ballerinas that had really soft physiques – they didn’t have muscles, they weren’t six-feet-ten, and had big breasts.”